The Fires of the War
by Shelomith
Summary: Eighteen years before the quest of the boy without a fairy, the actions of three siblings start a war in the Hylian lands. Rated T for mild violence, sexual innuendo, and consumption of alcoholic beverages.
1. Chapters 1 through 8

**CHAPTER ONE**

"Gaalif!"

A woman approaching her middle years stood outside of the splintering wood door of her stone cottage, tapping her sandaled foot impatiently. She had been doing her daily household chores, as suggested by the lightly stained apron she wore . . . but for now, she had good reason to stop.

Two minutes later than she had liked, a tall, muscular, tan redheaded boy ran up to the woman with blood all over his once nice white shirt. He held two chicken feet severed from the body in one hand and a bloodstained cleaver in the other.

"Yes, mother?" he asked as pleasantly as possible.

"I heard from Lein that you've been sabotaging Yelena's schoolwork again," said his mother testily. Gaalif could see that his mother's blue eyes were filled with disappointment. "Is it true?" she asked finally.

Gaalif hung his head and nodded. "I'm such a terrible brother, aren't I?" he said sarcastically.

Mother looked at him with her I'm-not-amused look: mouth frowned, left eyebrow raised, mildly clenched jaw. "Go apologize to your sister. She's inside redoing everything."

Gaalif put down the chicken feet and cleaver before going inside. Although it was a sunny day with few cumulus clouds in the sky, the purple curtains were drawn over the one window across the room. To his left were the kitchen and kitchen table; straight ahead was the staircase that went upstairs, and at right was the den, which consisted of a sofa, two large chairs, and a small square table that the furniture was centered around. Currently kneeling at the table was a girl who was thirteen years old with tears running down her face. She was writing.

This was Gaalif's sister Yelena. She wasn't extremely beautiful (brown hair and green eyes matched with a narrow face and a long nose) but she still impressed many in their village with her intellect. She had been accepted into the local school when neither of her brothers were.

"Come to laugh at my misery?" she spat shakily without looking up. "I could be expelled because of this."

"Why, because I changed a few answers on one paper and wrote 'Professor Lewis is stupid' on your essay?" questioned Gaalif as he sat down in a chair.

"Yes, Gaalif!" Yelena stood up to face him, and he saw that she was wearing her ugly brown smock today. "We all know you're jealous of me, so stop showing it by taking it out on my homework!"

"But you are the cause of my rage, so of course I'm taking it out on you," retorted Gaalif. Anticipating something to happen, Yelena gathered her things and headed to her room upstairs. Once there, she threw her stuff on the floor and pushed her small body against the door as if to brace it. By now, she was used to Gaalif's temper and could combat it when it was inevitable and prevent it when it was preventable.

"Gaalif explode again?"

Yelena jumped; she didn't see her other brother sleeping on the bottom bunk of a bunk bed on the right side of the room. Unless you were told, you wouldn't know that these two were fraternal twins; the only physical trait they shared was the long, pointed ears and nose. While Yelena was positively brunette, her brother was blonder than an ear of corn and his eyes as blue as water flowing in the Zora River.

He lay on his stomach while staying on his bed so he could see his sister.

"Yes, he did, Lein," said Yelena, "yes he did."

"What a jerk," commented Lein. "I now realize I didn't want in that school anyway; too much time from home. Anyways, I can't believe we're forced to call him our brother."

"I can't believe he wants me to do something constructive with my life," remarked Yelena, who picked up her school materials and sat down at the small desk next to the bunk bed. "You know - unite all these villages and tribes into one nation. That would be nice."

"That'll probably never happen," said Lein with a yawn. "All the tribes are too different: Gorons, Zora's, Sheikah, those thief women who live in the desert - they'll all never unite under one ruler, who is currently nonexistent."

"Well, I don't want this beautiful land created by the gods to be doomed to anarchy," said Yelena as she resumed her work. "I'll do great things. Watch me, Lein."

Later in the day Yelena left for school while the boys did work with their mother. Gaalif was preparing a chicken for dinner as Lein washed laundry with Mother (his brother would oftentimes ridicule him, but he would rather wash Yelena's underwear than do something gruesome like dismember animals).

By the time they had finished hanging out shirts to dry, it was so hot and dry outside that Mother took off her apron and wrapped the strings around her head to protect her neck from the merciless sun.

"I think this is it for today," she said while moving to go inside. But the sound of running horses - a sound not always heard in this village - stopped her.

Coming from the west were several mounted riders. They were Gerudos - thieves from the desert. They were mostly women, but a man led them.

They rode into town and started breaking into homes and/or pickpocket people rather violently for goods. Their leader stopped and looked at Lein, striking fear into the boy's heart. The chilling stare of his cold, dark eyes would be enough to have a grown man screaming for his mother.

Lein slowly moved back towards the house, keeping eye contact with this man, who eventually lost interest and moved on towards the school.

"Why us, why peaceful Rohoni?" pondered Mother out loud. She hastily opened the door to the house, shoved Lein in, and closed the door behind herself.

"I hope all's well with your siblings," she said.

They stood against the door, pushing all their weight onto it until they heard the theives riding away. They went outside to see Gaalif holding a few dozen strands of Gerudo hair and his trusty cleaver. "They took our donkey!" he called.

"Oh well, Ssa was getting old anyways," said Mother indifferently. "Lein, go find Yelena."

Lein obeyed his mother hesitantly and she stayed behind to listen to Gaalif's tale of how he single-handedly fought off five thieves.

"Uh huh, and I've seen leevers fly." She obviously didn't fall for her son's tall tale. This was said just in time for the twins to come back. Lein had his arm around Yelena, who still appeared horrified from the experience.

"They trashed the school," she recounted sadly. Mother snatched Yelena into her arms until she said "But I'm fine, Mother."

Mother backed off.

"Still, that man's eyes . . . ."

"We're all alive, so who cares?" said Gaalif in his usual know-it-all tone. "But I don't want our town getting robbed again . . . knowing why in the first place would be pretty nice . . . ."

**CHAPTER TWO**

Putting the village back together was an easy enough feat. The real challenge was keeping people from panicking over the possibility of another attack. Many believed that since all the valuable things within reach of the thieves had already been stolen, they wouldn't come back.

Since the school was pretty much destroyed, Yelena had to stay home during the day now, but she still continued to read and study to prepare for the glorious day of her return. Because she was excused from household duties, Gaalif greatly resented her and would pester her whenever convenient, making her swear not to tell Mother, or it would be worse next time.

Two whole uneventful years passed, during which the school was rebuilt and the Gerudos kept pillaging several villages throughout the Hylian region, and no reason why was yet discovered.

Mid afternoon, and Yelena was done at school for the day. She set out for home, saying hello to the usual small afternoon crowd in the miniature marketplace, and she saw Lein standing outside the doorway of their house. His hair had grown a little longer in two years and darkened by not much, not to mention two inches added to his height. He was doing nothing; just staring blankly into space.

"I'm home!" Yelena called to her twin, whom she startled.

Lein jumped. "Oh, hi, Yelena," he said in response. "Gaalif got mad because I made fun of his new haircut - which was not easy, let me tell you - and I haven't been inside since noon. I hate being outside, and I would hate to constantly be outside, especially when it's safer inside, where there are no mosquitoes." He held out his arms and showed off some swollen red mosquito bites.

"His fury has surely subsided by now," assumed Yelena. "Let's go in."

The twins entered their house, seeing neither their brother nor mother on the first floor. Lein remained downstairs while his sister went upstairs, and in a matter of seconds, she called for him to come up.

"LEIN, COME TO MOTHER'S ROOM NOW!" He obeyed.

Mother's bedroom was upstairs, opposite of the small hallway from Gaalif's. It was bland with no decoration: just bare white walls and rough wood floor. The bed was pushed up against the wall opposite from the door, and she had no closet to store clothing in.

She was lying in bed, face pale, eyes closed as if she were sleeping. Gaalif was sitting on the side of the bed next to her.

"She was inside all day, since it was so hot out," said Gaalif. "I don't know how she got sick. The village apothecary had no medicine for her, because the doctor couldn't diagnose anything."

"So that's who those people were!" remembered Lein suddenly.

Yelena felt her mother's forehead and its ill warmth. "How could she just suddenly get sick?"

"I don't know," said Gaalif, looking sorrowfully at Mother. "You'd think staying as clean as possible would help keep you healthy, but,"

"If she always kept her outside clean, then nothing was being done to strengthen her immunity system, so one slipup in hygiene could result in sickness," Yelena finished his sentence.

"So . . . if the apothecary has no medicine for a disease not diagnosed, then what do we do?" asked Lein. He didn't want to think about the possibility of his mother dying.

"We could go up north to that big city - Castle Town, I think it's called." Gaalif suggested. "I hear that there's a potion shop with a cure or remedy for any ailment mild or severe."

"But someone will have to stay here with Mother," pointed out Lein. Venturing into the outside world was just as scary as the notion of Mother's death.

"Good point," said Gaalif. "I'll stay."

"But-but-"

"I'm staying because of my responsibilities as the eldest son. You need to get out into the world and do stuff, Lein. You can't stay home forever."

Lein sighed. "Fine then. Yelena, let's leave tomorrow."

Yelena nodded. "Good call, for I don't have school. By the way, Gaalif, your hair looks good short."

Gaalif smiled.

Lein and Yelena went to sleep and woke up while the sky was still dark. They took their trusty brown horse Penoa (which had recently been bought) and set off for Castle Town. Lein was reluctant to go, and it carried over to the trip. Was it because of the uncertainty of the night with its beautiful countless stars and radiant glowing moon, or the tiny legion of Stalchildren following them?

"Can't believe I'm saying this, but Gaalif was right, Lein," said Yelena as she held onto Penoa's reins, making sure he was going at a good pace. "You do need to get out more often. Stop whimpering in fear, they can't reach us from up here."

"I know," retorted Lein with a shaky voice, "But they're so scary to look at!" He held on tight to his sister.

"Please, they're just walking skeletons,"

"Yeah, why do ya think I'm scared of them?" He finally made himself look up, just in time to see the sun peak over the horizon. He could then see his surroundings better: just a huge green meadow with some trees and the Zora River. As the sun steadily rose, one by one the Stalchildren retreated to their graves for a daily slumber.

"Good, they're gone," sighed Lein with relief and mild exhaustion.

"Just in time," responded Yelena. "We're here!"

Castle Town was much bigger than the twin's humble little hamlet. The buildings weren't made of wood or stone but of brick, and roofs were not thatched but shingled. Not to mentioned paved streets.

Signs annouced what their respective buildings were: a bazaar, a treasure guessing game, shooting gallery, mask shop, bowling alley, and a potion shop. Tucked away behind the mask shop was a temple resembling a church. The southeast part of town was unoccupied by anything.

On the way to the potion shop they were accosted by a man in running clothes who challenged them to a race anytime before running off. When back on track, they reached their destination, just to find a sign that said CLOSED on the door.

"Great," griped Lein.

"Lein, it's early morning, give it some time to open up. See all the people spilling out of their houses and opening up their various businesses?"

"Okay. I know, why don't you stay here, and I'll go pray for Mother at the temple."

"Whatever. Just come back."

With his sister's permission, he headed towards the temple. The walkway up to it was pretty nice, with a paved road and strange statues of eyes whose gaze pierced your soul.

The temple's inside was composed of bleak white walls and tiled floor, with a dais about a third of the way up. Said dais was hexagonal in shape with a patter consisting almost entirely of triangles in the background of the pattern that took up the foreground: a pattern of one triangle made up of three. Deep red carpets lead to a stone table with writing on it. Finally, the carpet continued on to the next wall, and the center section was complete stone, and it bore that three-in-one triangle pattern too.

"Hello."

Lein jumped violently when he heard the voice and saw its source: a balding man with a white beard and a burgundy robe.

"I am Rauru, the Sage of Light who lives on the temple grounds. Who are you?"

"I'm Lein of Rohoni Village," said Lein. "My mother is ill, and I am here with my sister to find some medicine for her and I thought it a good idea to pray for her.

"Then pray for your mother, Lein. I have to pray for our realm." Rauru walked up to the stone wall, dropped to his knees, and began to mumble something. Lein followed suit, only he stayed on the dais.

"Um, gods, if you're not too busy listening to Rauru, then please hear me. You should know that my mother's ill, so please heal her. That's all I have to say."

Slightly easier than he thought it would be.

As he was about to get up and leave, he found himself seeing not the temple, but a raining sky that stretched for infinity, pouring raindrops into a bottomless pit.

Suddenly, among the chaotic storms, three women who appeared as goddesses flew up against the rain. They each had a different colored aura about them: one red, one blue, one green.

Lein looked below and saw the earth taking form. Each goddess added her own touch to it: from the ground to the grasses to the air, everything was laid out like the territory of Hyrule was.

Finally, as the rain stopped, the three goddesses ascended to the heavens. Descending to the newly formed world were the three triangles that were so often depicted in the temple, only in this vision they were a shimmering gold.

And then he was back at the temple. Lein sprang to his feet, ran to Rauru (who was back on his feet) and told him everything in the vision.

"What does it all mean?"

"Well, my boy, the three goddess-like women are the goddesses of the realms: Nayru, Din, and Farore. They created the world and left us the Triforce, a sacred and hidden power that is in the sacred Realm."

"HIDDEN POWER!?!"

They both turned around, and nobody was there. Whoever it was must have overheard the conversation and ran out to tell people.

"Lein, leave the temple. Go to your sister and then come back. But do not breathe a word of anything I just told you or what you saw." instructed Rauru, whose bidding Lein followed.

He left, went to the potion shop and rejoined Yelena in time to see a man clad in orange standing on top of the fountain in the center of the town's hub, shouting to get everyone's attention.

"Hey people! I was just at the temple and I heard a boy telling the sage about a vision. The sage then said something about a hidden power called the Triforce!"

Murmurs.

"And just why does this intrigue you?" It was Rauru, calling from the side of the Happy Mask Shop.

"Well," said the man, "I want it!"

The citizens went into an uproar, shouting things like "I want it too!"

"Why do they want power so bad anyway?" commented Lein.

"Their feeble human minds are being corrupted by the selfishness that is a default trait of man," said Yelena as she looked at her brother. "Were you the boy who had the vision?"

He nodded.

"Interesting."

"YOU CANNOT HAVE IT!!" roared Rauru with a rage. "The Triforce is unattainable because it is locked away in the Sacred Realm, and the only known way there is through the Temple of Time. And to get there, you need three Spiritual Stones and one final key. The key is lost, but the stones are with their rightful owners: the Kokiri in the forest, the Gorons at Death Mountain, and the Zora's along the river. But do not attempt to steal from these people. You have been warned!"

The man got down and went on to the shooting gallery while everyone else dispersed and went on with their lives. Rauru (who was virtually invisible although many were concealing their anger toward him) spotted the twins and went over to them.

"Lein, this is your sister?" the sage asked him.

Yelena nodded. "Yes, I'm Yelena."

"Nice to meet you," said Rauru. "Now the Triforce isn't as safe as it was five minutes ago. You two need to go home and stay there until your mother is healed of her sickness. Then come here with your older brother to the temple. I fear hard times are upon us."

"How do you know about our brother?" Yelena asked Rauru.

"Sage powers," he chuckled. "now go."

"But Mr. Rauru," began Lein, "you said they need one last key to get the Triforce. And if the key is lost, then how -"

"I have it. Now go home."

Yelena and Lein set off for Rohoni, and Lein was puzzled upon learning that the cure for any illness or ailment mild or severe was a little fairy sealed up in a jar. But he found himself eating his words when they got home and it did a great job of healing Mother. And although she was better, neither twin had yet to say anything of what was supposed to happen next.

**CHAPTER 3**

Eight days passed since Mother got better, and the twins had yet to say anything on the subject on the extra occurrences in Castle Town; Yelena because she was preparing for her graduation from school, and Lein kept his mouth shut because he didn't want to risk angering Mother, who wasn't very pleased when she heard that they left the village to get medicine.

On the ninth day after returning to Rohoni Village, all four members of the family were sitting in the living room doing various things. Mother was sewing a dress for Yelena out of silk cloth dyed a pretty emerald green color; Gaalif making a wood carving of a rabbit; Lein stared blankly into space, enjoying the silence; and Yelena was writing one last paper for school. Her assignment was to pick one legend often told in the Hylian regions, describe its impact on a specific race/culture/people, and explain what it meant personally to her. After racking her brains for a topic that was unlikely to be taken by another student, she then remembered . . . .

"Mother," she said abruptly, distracting Gaalif so he accidentally nicked his finger, "Lein and I have something to tell you."

Lein looked at his sister, his eyes saying "Is this the best time?"

"Okay," said Mother, putting her sewing aside, "Someone talk."

So Yelena told everything about the Triforce that she knew and how Rauru the Sage wanted all three siblings to return to Castle Town to meet him for something.

Gaalif stopped sucking blood from his cut and smirked loudly. "You're joking, please, tell me you are," he said.

"You aren't going," ordered Mother sharply.

"But Mother, he sounded rather urgent, and we were actually supposed to go back once you got better," protested Lein.

"You've only met him once, and there's too much coming up for you to just run away." Mother continued. "All three of you are staying here, where it's safe."

"Besides, why should we be worried if some maniac got his hands on this Triangle thingy? What's the worst he could do?" asked Gaalif, whom was obvioulsy not taking this seriously.

"Okay, let's say that someone exceedingly greedy and power-hungry got the Triforce," pointed out Yelena, "And on top of that, they had world domination on their minds. We'd be in some serious trouble."

"Such a person doesn't exist," said Mother. Lein gave a fake cough that sounded very similar to "Gerudos" and Yelena nodded his way.

"This conversation ends here!" barked Mother. "From now on, no more discussion of anything related to this Triforce thing, if it is indeed real. Everyone get ready for bed, it's getting late."

The siblings gathered their things, went to their bedrooms, put their things away, put on their pajamas, and hopped in bed. The twins weren't done discussing, however.

"To be honest, Lein, I couldn't care less about what this sage guy has planned. If he's a high-and-mighty sage, he should be able to shoo people away himself."

"He doesn't seem so high-and-mighty to me, Yelena. I'm partway interested, but I don't want to go alone."

"Just don't worry about it. Good night."

In his bedroom, Gaalif was lying in his bed, thinking about the story he was told not too long ago. Either they were plain crazy or they were telling the truth. He secretly hoped for the latter; a little slice of some divine power wouldn't be half bad . . . .

* * *

Rohoni Village slept peacefully under the brilliant night sky, with its glowing moon and the shimmering stars. Near perfect except for a verbal fight below in the streets below that woke the twins up. 

Yelena yawned, rubbed her eyes, and climbed down from the top bunk to peer out of the bedroom window to the street below. Lein was also awake, and he joined her at the window. They could see a torch's flame burning bright which showed a man's face oh so vaguely. A few yards away was a dim blue light.

"Give us the sapphire, thief," said the man holding the torch. He must have had some friends, because a few more men said "Yeah!" behind him.

"No," said a woman's voice, "It's mine. I bargained the Zora King for it fair and square."

"Your tribe doesn't bargain - they steal!"

"All right, so I gypped them a little. But he was pretty please with the red cape and hat I gave him. Now, I've got to go now." The sound of running feet followed.

"Oh man, she got away!" cried one of the men.

"That's okay, she very likely won't find her way in the dark," said the man with the torch. "Say, wanna burn this town down?"

Yelena gasped quietly.

"Why?" asked a buddy.

The torchbearer moved his torch so his face wasn't at all visible. "Someone living here might know about the Triforce and want it. Just think: if everyone dies when their homes go up in smoke, that means less competition!"

"Umm . . . okay."

"Excellent. We'll start with that house, the one with the kids watching from the window."

"You moron! Stone won't burn."

"That's the walls. The inside of the house will, and that's where all the people are."

"But - we'll be killing innocent people. Women, kids, babies!"

"The women wouldn't want it, and we don't want the kids growing up to want it."

Conversation ceased. The men walked away.

"What do we do?" asked Lein frantically.

"We wake up Mother and Gaalif, tell them what's going on, and get the heck out of here!" answered Yelena.

They rushed to their closet and groped around for some clothes to put on (Yelena accidentally grabbed a pair of Lein's pants and put them on under a frock) before waking up the rest of their family and assembling in the living room, just in time for a torch to crash through the window and land on the wood floor.

"Great, fire!" exclaimed Gaalif.

"Get out of the house, now." Mother said, running upstairs.

The fire steadily spread through the first floor of the house, consuming everything in its path. Lein opened the door and waited for his siblings to get out, then he saw Mother at the top of the stairs, holding what looked like traveling cloaks.

"Take these!" she threw them at her son, but dare not venture back down the staircase, for the fire was working its way up.

"Mother," Lein said. He wanted to say more, but he choked on his words.

"GO!"

Gaalif pulled Lein out of the house and threw him on top of Penoa before getting on himself, and they rode off, away from their burning home. Nobody looked back, just forward.

"Lein?" called Yelena from the front.

"I'm here," he responded. "Mother isn't. She's still in the house, burning to death."

"Mother's dead?" asked Gaalif.

Penoa halted. All three siblings looked at each other the best they could in the faint light of the night, making sure their eyes avoided the fires that were once their home.

"But us three can support ourselves," said Gaalif. "Let's find somewhere else to live, then we can mourn."

"Where?" asked Lein, beginning to cry. There was now no home for him . . . no mother to give him protection . . ..

The reins cracked, and Penoa the horse galloped again, and Yelena said "Castle Town."

* * *

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Once the three reached the drawbridge of Castle Town (which, to their surprise, was open at night) they fell off Penoa into a group hug, lamenting the loss of their home and their mother, according to Lein. Yet at this time no tears flowed from even Lein's eyes, although he was closest to Mother; their grief could not be described with tears.

"Okay, let's straighten up," said Gaalif and they broke apart. "Yelena, why here? According to you, this is where the crazy sage guy you described is."

"Got a better idea of where we could go?" retorted Yelena. "Lein, shut up," she said to her other brother, for he was pointing and whimpering at some approaching Stalchildren.

"No," admitted Gaalif with exasperation. "Let's go, but I think we should leave Penoa out here."

"And let _them_ get him?" said Lein, pointing out the Stalchildren.

"Fine, he'll come with us into the entrance, we'll tether him up, and leave him here."

The siblings entered Castle Town (Lein leading Penoa by the reins), tethered their horse to a nearby fencepost upon entering, and ventured farther in.

At night, Castle Town was void of human activity; instead, several puppies scampered around playfully, barking at each other. The stars and moon provided some light, along with some lanterns along the streets impaled on posts. A gray schnouzer followed them to a store called Chudley's Emporium until Gaalif scared it off ("What? That dog was stalking us!").

While walking past Chudley's to the temple, they heard a man standing outside the store cloaked by the night muttering "Can't believe that freak with the masks is trying to buy me out. . . ." but they disregarded it and moved on to the temple's open doors.

The same light that lit the temple by day still illuminated it at night. Rauru stood above the table towards the other side of the hall, facing them. Upon seeing them, he looked up.

"Hello there you three," he said. "Why are you visiting this late at night?"

"Some nutcases were chasing a Gerudo woman who stole a sapphire," said Gaalif.

"They burned down our village in an attempt to reduce competition for the Triforce," added Yelena.

"And our mother ---" Lein couldn't say it without choking on the words.

Rauru began moving to them. "Please accept my sympathy," he said remorsefully. "I never expected someone other than a sage to see that vision you saw, Lein, and I acted on impulse without thinking first.

"But I'm glad you returned, for I don't think I would entrust this task to anyone else. Gaalif with your brawns, Yelena with your brains, and Lein with your good heart."

"How do you know our names?" asked Yelena incredulously. "What task?"

"Sage powers. Ah yes, the task!

"Just today, a messenger of the King Zora visited and said a Gerudo stole their Sapphire, and the Queen Zora has gone gaga over losing her prized possession. Yesterday the Goron chief came and said that an attempt has been made on their Ruby, but they still have it safe; apparently only a Goron can take it off its resting place. And last week, a fairy from the forest named Navi told me that the Great Deku Tree gave the Kokiri Emerald to the Sheikah, believing they could protect it from a thief better. The Great Deku Tree knows when the other Stones are disturbed.

"What I want you three to do is go to them - one to a race - and convince them to give you the Stone so I can have them and keep them safe. Understood?"

Yelena and Lein nodded, but Gaalif said "Why should we do this?" _Maybe not for you, old coot, but for me, I will._

"Gaalif, like I said, someone extremely hungry for power could access the Triforce and we'd all be doomed. " said Yelena, rolling her eyes.

"All right, I'll go to the Sheikah."

"Darn it, I wanted them. I'll go to the Gorons." Lein said.

"That leaves me with the Gerudo," said Yelena with sarcastic optimism. "I'd love to give them a piece of my mind for robbing our village a while back."

"Good, now that's settled. Rest up, and in the morning, you can be on your way." said Rauru, walking back to the table.

Each sibling picked a separate place in the temple to sleep: Gaalif curled up next to the stone door, Lein beside the table, and Yelena on the hexagonal dais.

That morning, Rauru went to each of them in turn with a bowl of steaming porridge and a various trinket to impress their assigned peoples with.

"Gaalif, the Sheikah care not for gold or jewelry, but for things with unique powers and history. When I was younger, I wore these boots to **hover over small distances** for fun. Now I have no use for them, but the Great Impa might be impressed with them."

"Lein, the Gorons eat rocks, and especially enjoy the ones found in the Dodongo's Cavern. However, the rocks in this bag are filled with even more nutrients and minerals. I would suggest giving these to Darmin the chief and asking for the Ruby once he's eaten them. Gorons are easiest to persuade when they're in a good mood."

"Yelena, the Gerudo will do whatever it takes to defend their booty and plunder. Give them these diamond earrings, which they will hopefully find more valuable than the Zora's Sapphire. I believe you have the hardest of all three, and we may not meet again for some time. If you must resort to thievery to take the Sapphire, then do so."

Once they finished their porridge and compared tributes (Lein complaining about the weight of the rocks) they went back through town, stopped at the entrance, and untied Penoa.

"So where do the Sheikah live, Yelena?" Gaalif asked his sister as he looked over his boots, with their gold toes and wings. _These dinky things are supposed to get me a valuable emerald? Ha! Rauru _must _be bonkers._

"Kakariko Village. It's an almost entirely Sheikah settlement, but some Hylians live there to work for the Sheikah," said Yelena, reciting it exactly how she learned it at school. "From there you can go to Death Mountain. The Gerudo territory is way west of here, while the walk to Kakariko is just over that way," she pointed east. "I think I should take Penoa with me."

"Okay," said Lein. "Bye Yelena."

"Bye you two. Good luck." She hoisted herself onto Penoa, cracked the reins, and was off. The brothers also left town and walked into the rising sun as they went to Kakariko Village.

* * *

**

* * *

**

The sun hung low in the sky, and it shone on Kakariko Village, watching over it along with the towering Death Mountain, where smoke lazily ascended to the heavens.

Kakariko was filled with cliffs and ledges, with brick houses and buildings perched on them. The highest building was a windmill, all the way on the northern side of town. Below the windmill was an old, eerie-looking well.

"Seems like a nice town," said Lein with a yawn as he struggled to keep a firm hold on his burlap sack of rocks, "We could live here once we've helped out Rauru."

"Yeah, and you'll pluck up the courage to start a new life." Gaalif spat with weak sarcasm. "Go on up to the volcano; they might hand it to you the moment they see you out of pity."

"Gaalif, I'm not all that weak. And I'm braver than you think."

"Then why is Mother dead?"

That was it for Lein. "Do _NOT_ use Mother against me! The fire was moving upstairs, there was nothing I could do!" With a huff, Lein stomped away towards Death Mountain.

_I'll be surprised if he survives the trip up, Gaalif_ thought with a mental sneer.

He continued through town, going all the way to the well, where a woman with a mauve tint in her otherwise white hair was standing. She was burly and dressed in dark purple clothing.

"Um, hi," said Gaalif to her. "Who is the Sheikah leader?"

"Me," the woman said. "I am Impa, ruler of the Sheikah and Sage of the Shadow Temple." She spoke with an accent similar to that of an Eastern European. "What is it that you want, boy?"

"See, I have come for the Kokiri Emerald. In exchange, you can have these spectacular hovering boots."

"_Hovering_ boots? The best gift I have been offered for the Emerald. Everyone else insisted on giving me gold or gems." Impa said carelessly, taking the boots. "But I won't give it to you willy-nilly, no matter how good this gift is.

"A while after Navi came with the Emerald and her message, two **witches** from the **desert** demanded the Emerald, saying that they would unleash a terrible beast upon the town unless I gave it to them.

"It is a terrible beast, visible only to one **who can see the truth**. Our tribal magic cannot do anything to it, but magic may not be the key. It is temporarily sealed up in the graveyard. I'll give you the power of the truth and if you can slay or temporarily subdue it, then you can have the Emerald. You will get in through this well." Impa motioned to the well, which was empty. A ladder was built into its side.

"Uh, okay. I'll do it." Gaalif said, not at all feeling sheepish. How hard could it be?

_Boom_

Where a stone wall to the east of the windmill once was was now a way to somewhere else. Although rocks flew everywhere, some dark brown thing slithered on the ground.

"It's the beast!" cried Impa. She hastily produced a magnifying glass with a red lens and purple handle, handed it to Gaalif along with a sword, and stood way back.

He held the glass to its eye, and he saw a brown monster with a piercing orange eye staring back at him. It was advancing his way, slower and slower.

Gaalif, still keeping the glass to his eye, looked at the sword he was given, then at the monster. Hoping that this would make things far less complicated, he threw it blade first at the monster's eye.

It was a dead hit. The sword sailed through the air and hit the monster smack in its pupil. Gaalif and Impa watched as it writhed on the ground, for it was now visible without the glass.

Impa thrust her arms out, ejecting the sword from the monster's eye, and raising up into the air and into the well with a final slam. Instantly after, the well filled up with crystal-clear water.

"I wouldn't drink out of that thing," said Gaalif as he picked up the sword and wiped it on the ground.

"Nice work, boy. In return for your services, we shall give you anything and any service you desire, even the Emerald."

Gaalif nodded. "Thanks, Impa. I'll take the Emerald. My brother's up at Death Mountain, so could I stay here until he's done there?"

"Yes you may. You can even live in my home with my son and me."

For a while, Gaalif seriously contemplated journeying up Death Mountain to help Lein with whatever needed helping. But the beautiful green of the Kokiri Emerald changed his mind.

* * *

**

* * *

**

Death Mountain was tall, an intimidating sight to Lein, who knew that the Gorons could be anywhere on this mount. He wasn't used to the physical activity required for climbing up a rocky mountain slope; add the heavy sack of rocks, and it didn't take long for him to run out of energy.

He stopped and pulled over at the entrance of a dark, spooky-looking cave, and looking its way made a chill run down his spine, hoping that this wasn't the way to Goron City. His hunch was correct, for a nearby sign read "DODONGO'S CAVERN – DO NOT ENTER WITHOUT PERMIT."

After a short breather, Lein slung the sack over his shoulder and trudged back up Death Mountain. Once he got up from the slope to level ground again, he stopped and had a look at the breathtaking view that showed him the village below. It looked like one of his old toy village sets, with miniature houses and little people. But it had been destroyed in the fire last night, and it was time to move on.

Signs along the trail pointed him to Goron City. Finally, he reached the entrance to the city, which had a banner hanging over it that showcased the symbol of the Gorons. Assuming this was it, Lein entered.

Goron City was built in the round, with various levels of the city spiraling downward to the base of a large, rotating urn in the shape of a Goron. Above the urn, held up by planks, was a center platform with something gleaming and red at its heart. Real-live Gorons looked like bronze-colored rocks with limbs and a smiling face. Lein could see them on all levels of the city talking, eating rocks, or curled up into a ball and rolling around. The only place it seemed that he could go was down, so that's what he did. He found a set of stairs and followed them down, down, down until he landed on a plush carpet, a relief to his bare, aching feet. In front of the carpet was a hallway to a dead ended room. Hoping this would get him somewhere, Lein walked down the hall.

At the end was a room lit by torches, with a far wall with intricately carved patterns carved into it. A large Goron was standing in front of a Goron-shaped statue. He seemed old and wizened, with a touch of grouch to his face. Standing next to him was a younger Goron with a face consumed in a mixture of worry and attempts at happiness.

"Who are you, little human?" barked the older Goron upon seeing Lein. He must have been the chief, Darmin.

"I'm Lein, s-sent by Rauru the Sage t-to retrieve the Goron's Ruby so he can k-keep it safe." Lein answered apprehensively.

"Does Rauru doubt our power? Already a Gerudo thief tried to take it, but we beat her out! _We Gorons are not weak_!!! You will leave my city, now, human. Darunia, lead him away."

The younger Goron came forward, grabbed Lein by the arm and took him from the throne room, up to the highest level of the city.

"Um, Darunia," Lein began timidly "I am sorry if I insulted you in any way. See –--"

"No worries, Lein," said Darunia nicely. "I believe you when you say that Rauru could keep it safer, but my father is too proud to admit that a stronger Gerudo could come and take it. If someone is strong enough and not a Goron, he could pull it from its resting place. Let me go get it."

Darunia walked across to the platform hovering over the large urn, pulled up the gleaming red thing, and walked back to Lein, giving him the Goron's Ruby.

"Thanks, I didn't expect it to be this easy."

"It's alright, little human." Darunia gave a pat on the back, which knocked Lein to the ground. "By giving you this, we are now Sworn Brothers. Will you promise me as a Brother to take this straight to Rauru?"

"Yes, I will," said Lein, not knowing what he meant by Sworn Brother. "If I can manage it, I'll see you later."

"Bye then, Lein!" called Darunia while watching Lein stop to tuck the Ruby snugly into his cloak before running off. He nodded to himself and went back down to Darmin, silently praying that he wouldn't be too upset.

* * *

**

* * *

**

Smoke still rose from the burnt rubble and charred stone buildings that was, until last night, Rohoni Village. Yelena stopped here to see the product of human greed that cost her her home and her mother.

She and Penoa rode up to what used to be their house, looking through a window at the ashen living area. Draped over the remains of the staircase was a burnt skeleton, bony arms suspended, hanging lifelessly like an upside-down doll. The smell of burnt flesh was still prevalent, and she had to use her cloak to cover her nose to avoid inhaling the dreadful fumes.

Yelena couldn't find it in herself to cry for Mother; she did naught but stare until willing herself to ride through the rest of the demolished village, seeing where the school was (a complete pile of ash, for it was constructed of wood) and stopping for a moment to pay tribute. It was here that tears started to fall; Yelena began to hate herself because she wept for the school and not for Mother. But the school had been more than a place to gain knowledge of the world: it was an escape from the torments of Gaalif, who resorted to always picking on Lein. They got along a little better in the past few years, but always retained that sibling rivalry.

"Let's go, Penoa," Yelena said to the stallion with a sniff. "We've dawdled long enough." She cracked the reins, and they took off to the desert.

* * *

If you go to the westernmost extremities of Hyrule Field, you will eventually run into a series of small cliffs where the grass stops and gives way to dust, sand, and hard earth. Keep going past here, and you meet the Gerudo Valley, cut in two by the Zora River. To make crossing between sides possible, a rickety suspension bridge was built. 

Yelena and Penoa fearlessly rode over the bridge, past the signs that read "ENTERING GERUDO FORTRESS – NO HYLIANS ALLOWED WITHOUT PERMIT" into the Gerudo Fortress. She hoped that the diamond earrings that she had tucked into the pocket of her frock was permitting enough.

Gerudo Fortress was built on levels, long buildings constructed of sun-dried brick stacked on top of one another. On the far western side of the fortress was a big heavy gate that guarded a huge desert. Dark-skinned women with fiery hair were patrolling around, talking, and showing off fighting techniques to each other.

As Penoa slowly walked forward, Yelena looked around and noted her surroundings while removing her cloak in response to the hot, dry air. None of these buildings looked different from another, and the only people she trusted to know which building housed who were the locals themselves. However, from what she learned at school, Gerudos were not the nicest people . . ..

She was taken very aback when Penoa stood up on his rear legs in reaction to a Gerudo hopping out in front of them. She was clothed in white, her top embroidered with intricate patterns. Her lips were an unnaturally pale color that matched her clothing, and her long hair was gathered into a high ponytail.

"Who are you?" she demanded ferociously. "How dare you trespass onto our land?"

"I wish for an audience with your ruler, please," said Yelena as submissively as possible.

"Get off your horse." ordered the Gerudo, and Yelena obeyed. "I'm sure that never in his one hundred and sixteen years the Great Kaoran has granted audience with a Hylian, especially one as ugly as you." At first, Yelena dropped her jaw at the possibility of living for a hundred and sixteen years, but then rolled her eyes at being called ugly. She was so used to Gaalif's routine of pointing out her lack of good looks that it was nothing out of the norm by now.

The Gerudo grabbed Yelena around the neck and dragged her up the cliffs, all the way up to the top one, where a single cubic building stood on its lonesome. Some of the other Gerudo saw their comrade and her captive, and followed in curiosity.

Everyone wound up inside the lone cube, the inside barely decorated with the exception of a bull's skull hanging on the wall surrounded by a colorful wreath above a stone chair. Sitting in the chair was a Gerudo man.

For someone who was supposed to be over a hundred years old, he didn't look a day older than forty. His hair was still thick and intact with his head yet no rebellious gray strands were present. He wore an ornate black suit that clung to his muscular body.

"What is going on?" he barked when the rest of the Gerudo entered. One of them, dressed in plain white, went to his side and kneeled, bowing her head. She was significantly less beautiful than the woman who captured Yelena, yet she walked with a self-exalting swagger. She held a plain cloth sack whose contents glowed a pretty blue light.

"My lord, my father, Nabooru has captured a Hylian girl, but I stole something of great value." She opened the sack and pulled out the Zora's Sapphire, in all its shimmering beautiful glory. Yelena stared at it intently, wondering if the earrings would be fair bargain, for Kaoran sported a pleased look on his face. She remembered what she had overheard last night, how she practically cheated the Stone from the Zoras . . ..

"Very nice. Amtel, you have never failed me, and I hope you never will." Kaoran said with a smile, taking the Sapphire. As Amtel joined the crowd, Yelena could hear her captor muttering rude things under her breath.

"Nabooru!" he called to the Gerudo next to Yelena. "Who is she and why is she here?"

The Gerudo called Nabooru dropped into a bow. "O Great Kaoran, dear Father, this outrageous girl requests an audience with you."

"Get up, _get up_!" he howled, and Nabooru scrambled to her feet. "Why is it that you never take something useful? You always insist on taking food from villagers instead of money and riches!"

"Money that you can use to buy food," pointed out Yelena, but realized that she had spoken out of turn.

Kaoran turned his cold eyes to Yelena. "So, what is it that you want? To tell me how to govern my tribe?"

"No, Great Kaoran. See, I have been sent by the Sage, Rauru, to retrieve the Zora's Sapphire and take it to him for safekeeping. In return, I present these –" she retrieved the box holding the earrings from her pocket, opened the lid, and showed them to Kaoran.

"Hmm.. . Amtel!"

Amtel rushed back forward, took direction from Kaoran to take the earrings, and put them on. Nabooru looked at her sister with contempt.

"They look stunning on her, but I don't think they will be enough for me. I want you to demonstrate your skills in combat. Win, and you can take the Stone and go." He petted the Sapphire like a cat. "However, losing will result in you staying here as our captive."

"Uh . . . okay." Yelena said with a small hesitation. _I know nothing of fighting!_ she thought in a panic.

The Gerudo all lined up against the walls of the room, leaving Yelena in the center. She looked around at all of them, and their menacing glares, hoping that scrawny one standing two people away from Amtel would be the person she had to spar.

"Now, your opponent. I think Nabooru."

Nabooru went out to the center with reluctance. From what seemed like nowhere, she whipped out two swords with curved blades, holding one above her head and the other in front of her abdomen.

"Begin." Kaoran announced.

Nabooru bent her knees and jumped, body spinning and swords crashing to the ground. Yelena had jumped out of the way in time to hear the banging of metal to stone.

She tried to ignore the jeers of the other Gerudo as she dived out of the way when Nabooru somersaulted and attacked upon returning to her feet.

Yelena stuck with dodging whatever Nabooru threw at her for the time being, studying her attack pattern. It seemed that she would always jump when they were too far away and swing whenever they were close. She came to the mental verdict of delivering a kick or something whenever Nabooru let her guard down.

After a few more minutes of dodging, ignoring the insulting calls of the spectators, and banging up her body from diving out of the way, the golden moment came. Nabooru had tried to jump again, but landed badly and fell. Yelena took this as her chance to knee her in the back of the head, completely knocking her to the ground. Nabooru didn't get up, even though she was still alive. Panting, Yelena offered to help her up, but was refused.

"Match over." Said Kaoran. "Nabooru, out, you disgrace! How dare you give up so easily!" Nabooru got up and ran out without a word. "As for you, I don't know your name."

"Yelena," said Yelena. "And I won, so I'll take the Zora's Sapphire and go, thank you."

"Oh no, I think not. See, I think we could use you, Yelena. While you are on my territory, you abide by my rules. And I think you should stay here until I die. Amtel, give her a room to live in."

Amtel came forward, took Yelena by the arm, and led her to the cluster of building on the middle tier of the fortress.

"Not such a bad job, there. Of course, anyone could beat Nabooru. She's always done things her way, and you can see what the result has been."

"Why in the world would he break his word? He said that I could go if I won, and I won!" Yelena was shaking with the indignity of it all.

"Yes, but I guess he changed his mind after seeing you. He does that a lot." Amtel and Yelena arrived at a small room with nothing in it but a table, a closet, and a straw mat. "Welcome to your new home." She pushed Yelena in, shut the door, and left.

_Well_, she thought,

* * *

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

Nabooru was sitting out by the heavy gate to the wasteland, face stricken with tears of grief for her nonexistent honor. _How could I let her beat me? Where did I go wrong? Then again, I've never been the best. Amtel took the Zora's Sapphire when I failed at getting the Goron's Ruby. Amtel steals more than is expected, and I only do enough to get by._

_Amtel is perfect. I hate her._

She wiped her face with her gauntlet, got up, and entered the middle tiers of the fortress, roaming the halls until she found the Hylian girl in her room, lying on her mat, face buried in her pillow, shouting into it.

"Uh . . . hi." she said timidly. "Nice skills."

The girl looked up at Nabooru. She had also done some crying. "So you want to talk to me, after I humiliated you? Look, I'm sorry for whatever's been taken from you. I just want to go back to my brothers."

"Brothers? What are brothers?" Nabooru sat down on the mat next to her. "And what's your name?"

"Yelena," said Yelena. "Brothers are like sisters, only they're boys instead of girls."

"It's perfectly okay, Yelena. You don't have to feel bad for me, because Father already hates me. This was just some gossip."

Yelena looked at Nabooru, surprised that they were conversing normally as if nothing just happened. "I figured that he wasn't too fond of you. But what do you mean, hate?"

"Where to begin," sighed Nabooru, contemplating whether or not she should tell. "Well, my mother lived through childbirth, and is still alive today, only she was banished for living – most Gerudo die in childbirth, and the survivors are called freaks and sent away. I've always done things my way, on my own, but we Gerudo always do things in groups. How many thieves go thieving on their own? Add me getting beaten by some green-eyed Hylian girl with no fighting abilities, and I'm as bad as my mother."

"I saw you gave some dirty looks to that one girl, Amtel. Why do you seem to hate her?"

Nabooru spat on the floor. "Amtel is my sister. Father _loves_ her. Her mother died in childbirth like a proper Gerudo woman, she's done everything correctly, and she makes all the big steals. It's all given her a false sense of superiority. Plus, she not only stole the Zora's Sapphire, she also took my birthright. See, I'm the oldest living daughter of Kaoran – the rest got pregnant, and you know what happened next – so I was supposed to be the one to lead the tribe when he died. But _she_ –" she said the word with added hatred "pleased him so, so she's next in line! I'm glad that other person came along, so she won't –"

"What other person?" Yelena's curiosity piqued.

"I've said too much." Nabooru bowed her head and stared at the floor. "Let's talk about your life now."

"Let's see, my full name is Yelena Ketura Nohansen, I was born and raised in Rohoni Village, I have a twin brother named Lein, and older one named Gaalif, a mother and a father. My father died when I was very young when he was fixing our roof and he fell off, breaking his neck.

"I started going to school when I was seven years old – school is where you go to learn stuff, like how to read and do arithmetic and stuff – and I was supposed to graduate today, except Amtel ran through town last night, some men followed her, and decided to torch the town. The schoolhouse burned down, my home was destroyed, Mother dead, and now I'm separated from my brothers."

"Don't know what to say," said Nabooru.

The next two minutes or so passed in silence, broken by Nabooru saying, "While you're here, I'll teach you how to spar Gerudo style. In return, I want to learn this athemiretic or whatever you call it. We start after the midday meal, which should be in an hour or so."

For the next hour or so the two talked about anything and everything their minds came across. They compared customs of the Hylians and Gerudo people, discussed people they loved and hated, and questioning about "that other person" (Nabooru still refused to talk). When it was time to eat, Nabooru left and came back ten minutes later with two bowls of red-colored soup, wisps of steam rising from the top.

"Guess what? I can't even _eat _in the same room as everyone else. I'll show them . . ..", she said, handing a bowl to Yelena, taking a spoonful on impulse. It was spicy and bold, with chunks of meat and various vegetables floating around in the liquid. "This is good," she said with a mouthful.

Disdainfully, Nabooru ate some, swallowed, and said, "It's pathetic. This desert is so hot and arid nothing grows out here. We steal money to buy food with. Of course, I just steal food, drawing criticism. On occasion I take a live animal or two. Like, two years ago, we raided some village, and I took an old donkey to eat, but Amtel killed the donkey, discarded its body, and we all feasted on some beef."

"You most likely raided _my_ village and took _my _old donkey," suggested Yelena, halfway hoping that they had eaten Ssa instead of throwing him out like trash. Lein loved that old donkey.

"Well, sorry. But eat! We've got a lot to do."

* * *

CHAPTER NINE 

The rest of the afternoon was spent in rigorous exercise. Nabooru had Yelena do quite a few sit-ups, countless push-ups, and run seemingly infinite laps around the fortress. While doing the latter, the hardest part wasn't the actual running, but avoiding the stares of other Gerudo as they watched them. They whispered among themselves, wondering how the Hylian girl and Nabooru were working together even though she (Nabooru) had been bested in combat.

By the end of the day, Yelena hurt all over and refused to do anything else. Nabooru tried to get her to do some more, but whenever she tried to pull Yelena off her mat, she waved her arm as a sign to go away.

"Yeah, we all ache like this," said Nabooru. "I think we're done for the day. I'll go get some dinner, we can eat, and then chill."

"Think about it, kid, do you want to learn from someone who lost to you? I think you should be the one teaching _her."_

"Well, I like Nabooru. She's good at this stuff. Switching teachers would be a big step for me and would require a lot of sacrifice - you know, trying to get used to a different method and all. So in return, can I have the Zora's Sapphire?"

"Are you crazy? I can't teach you, for it seems Nabooru's poisoned your mind beyond repair."

_Well_, Yelena thought to herself, _it was worth a shot. When I can fight, I'll challenge Amtel and wager the Stone._

* * *

"So you've had it quite easy up until now, Yelena. Only going for six hours a day. And yes, it's easy by our standards. Tonight, we go from dinner until dawn." Yelena and Nabooru were sitting outside of the horseback archery course, reserved only for those who had mastered the art of the sword. Sitting down on the sandy ground, they used their fingers to write numbers and such as Yelena taught Nabooru how to add numbers, subract, multiply, and divide. ("How will this help me?")("Many kids wonder this at first, then a use pops up.")

"All night? You're joking, right? Please tell me you're joking." Yelena begged Nabooru.

"No, not joking. Do well at night, and you can sleep all day."

"And risk messing up my body's internal clock?"

"Shut up and explain what that circular number is right there."

* * *

Night fell, and after a dinner consisting of a chunk of bloody meat, Nabooru and Yelena headed over to the Gerudo Training Grounds. The Grounds had an ominous feeling to them; the hub raised up to a circular platform surrounded by four pillars. Three doors led to other areas of the grounds, shadowed by large ornate lion heads. Currently on the central platform a spar was occurring between Amtel and another Gerudo not known to either of them. Amtel won when she pinned her opponent to a pillar and she said "I give up!"

"Go, you piece of filth. You never give up!" Amtel let her opponent go so she could run out of the grounds. "Look who's here. My older sister and her charge. Nabooru, if you're going to kill her, don't forget to kill yourself as well."

Yelena looked at Nabooru, and the look on her face confessed she wanted to retaliate.

"And I see that dear Father has taken away your white and replaced it with _pink_. How do you feel? Please tell me, I don't know what it's like to be second best. I'd like to know from experience."

Without hesitating, Yelena walked up to Amtel and swung an open palm at her. Although her hand didn't make contact, Amtel flinched violently. "You're scared of me, aren't you?" she asked.

"No, I just flinch a lot," Amtel lied. "And you have quite a bit of courage to do that."

"Yep, I guess I do. Now are you going to bed, or are you going to keep annoying us?"

Amtel's face contorted in annoyed anger. "_Nobody - ever - speaks - to - me - like - that!_"

"Not until now," sassed Yelena.

With a frustrated grunt, Amtel walked up to Yelena to where there was only about five inches between their noses. "Listen, you may think you're safe under Nabooru's wing. She's always thought that she can do things herself, and you making her an outcast is adding to the illusion. But I have much more power over your life at the moment. Stay on my good side if you want to make it to a ripe old age. Understand?"

"Yes, I understand what you're saying, but I thought it was your father who currently ruled the tribe. Or did you poison his dinner so you can take over faster?"

"SHUT UP!" Yelena had succeeded in making Amtel unbelievably angry. Without anything else to say, Amtel stormed out of the training grounds.

"Yelena, I wish I had your guts," confessed Nabooru.

"Everyone has guts, it's just whether or not you choose to use them. I know my twin brother is courageous at heart, and if he'd just break out of his shell, he could do great things."

"Okay, that's enough of this junk. Time to work."

* * *

"Us Gerudo have built up ourselves a reputation of thieves who can steal and be gone before their victims even know what happened. We accomplish this by moving quickly. Running laps has helped your running speed, the push-ups build arm strength, and the sit-ups were for fun. On occasion, someone we're robbing knows how to use a weapon and will use it to defend themselves. It is then when we fight them. Our techniques consist of simply circling the opponent and waiting for when they least suspect it, but I like to throw in some gymnastics for an extra pop. I'll start by teaching you how to do a front flip, and when that's done, we'll move on to back flips."

Nabooru started with teaching Yelena the basic handstand, then once you're up, quickly lower your legs, bending back and landing firmly on your feet. Yelena had it down in two hours. Back flips were a bigger problem, for she was not flexible enough to bend all the way back. Nabooru resorted to standing behind Yelena and pulling her arms down so her hands would make contact with the ground. After holding that position for what seemed like an hour, Yelena kicked her legs over and stood up again.

"Do I have to make contact with the ground? Wouldn't it be easier to jump?" She tried, jumping, arching back, turning upside-down in the air, and landing on her feet. "Yeah, I think that's easier."

"Fine, do it that way. Let's play with sharp objects now."

* * *

Nabooru had brought four scimitars with her, two for each of them. She taught Yelena how to hold one of them above her head, the other in front of her body, how and when to attack, and to always watch the opponent.

When dawn broke, Yelena was, by Nabooru's book, a pretty competent warrior.

"We're done for the night."

"Great, can I eat some breakfast and sleep."

"Sure you can. After twenty laps."


	2. Chapters 9 through 13

CHAPTER NINE 

The rest of the afternoon was spent in rigorous exercise. Nabooru had Yelena do quite a few sit-ups, countless push-ups, and run seemingly infinite laps around the fortress. While doing the latter, the hardest part wasn't the actual running, but avoiding the stares of other Gerudo as they watched them. They whispered among themselves, wondering how the Hylian girl and Nabooru were working together even though she (Nabooru) had been bested in combat. Amtel had pulled Yelena aside, even, and offered to teach her instead of Nabooru.

"Think about it, kid, do you want to learn from someone who lost to you? I think you should be the one teaching _her."_

"Well, I like Nabooru. She's good at this stuff. Switching teachers would be a big step for me and would require a lot of sacrifice - you know, trying to get used to a different method and all. So in return, can I have the Zora's Sapphire?"

"Are you crazy? I can't teach you, for it seems Nabooru's poisoned your mind beyond repair."

_Well_, Yelena thought to herself, _it was worth a shot. When I can fight, I'll challenge Amtel and wager the Stone._

_--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

"So you've had it quite easy up until now, Yelena. Only going for six hours a day. And yes, it's easy by our standards. Tonight, we go from dinner until dawn." Yelena and Nabooru were sitting outside of the horseback archery course, reserved only for those who had mastered the art of the sword. Sitting down on the sandy ground, they used their fingers to write numbers and such as Yelena taught Nabooru how to add numbers, subtract, multiply, and divide. ("How will this help me?")("Many kids wonder this at first, then a use pops up.")

"All night? You're joking, right? Please tell me you're joking." Yelena begged Nabooru.

"No, not joking. Do well at night, and you can sleep all day."

"And risk messing up my body's internal clock?"

"Shut up and explain what that circular number is right there."

Night fell, and after a dinner consisting of a chunk of bloody meat, Nabooru and Yelena headed over to the Gerudo Training Grounds. The Grounds had an ominous feeling to them; the hub rose up to a circular platform surrounded by four pillars. Three doors led to other areas of the grounds, shadowed by large ornate lion heads. Currently on the central platform a spar was occurring between Amtel and another Gerudo not known to either of them. Amtel won when she pinned her opponent to a pillar and she said "I give up!"

"Go, you piece of filth. You never give up!" Amtel let her opponent go so she could run out of the grounds. "Look who's here. My older sister and her charge. Nabooru, if you're going to kill her, don't forget to kill yourself as well."

Yelena looked at Nabooru, and the look on her face confessed she wanted to retaliate.

"And I see that dear Father has taken away your white and replaced it with _pink_. How do you feel? Please tell me, I don't know what it's like to be second best. I'd like to know from experience."

Without hesitating, Yelena walked up to Amtel and swung an open palm at her. Although her hand didn't make contact, Amtel flinched violently. "You're scared of me, aren't you?" she asked.

"No, I just flinch a lot," Amtel lied. "And you have quite a bit of courage to do that."

"Yep, I guess I do. Now are you going to bed, or are you going to keep annoying us?"

Amtel's face contorted in annoyed anger. "_Nobody - ever - speaks - to - me - like - that!_"

"Not until now," sassed Yelena.

With a frustrated grunt, Amtel walked up to Yelena to where there was only about five inches between their noses. "Listen, you may think you're safe under Nabooru's wing. She's always thought that she can do things herself, and you making her an outcast is adding to the illusion. But I have much more power over your life at the moment. Stay on my good side if you want to make it to a ripe old age. Understand?"

"Yes, I understand what you're saying, but I thought it was your father who currently ruled the tribe. Or did you poison his dinner so you can take over faster?"

"SHUT UP!" Yelena had succeeded in making Amtel unbelievably angry. Without anything else to say, Amtel stormed out of the training grounds.

"Yelena, I wish I had your guts," confessed Nabooru.

"Everyone has guts, it's just whether or not you choose to use them. I know my twin brother is courageous at heart, and if he'd just break out of his shell, he could do great things."

"Okay, that's enough of this junk. Time to work."

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"Us Gerudo have built up ourselves a reputation of thieves who can steal and be gone before their victims even know what happened. We accomplish this by moving quickly. Running laps has helped your running speed, the push-ups build arm strength, and the sit-ups were for fun. On occasion, someone we're robbing knows how to use a weapon and will use it to defend themselves. It is then when we fight them. Our techniques consist of simply circling the opponent and waiting for when they least suspect it, but I like to throw in some gymnastics for an extra pop. I'll start by teaching you how to do a front flip, and when that's done, we'll move on to back flips."

Nabooru started with teaching Yelena the basic handstand, then once you're up, quickly lower your legs, bending back and landing firmly on your feet. Yelena had it down in two hours. Back flips were a bigger problem, for she was not flexible enough to bend all the way back. Nabooru resorted to standing behind Yelena and pulling her arms down so her hands would make contact with the ground. After holding that position for what seemed like an hour, Yelena kicked her legs over and stood up again.

"Do I have to make contact with the ground? Wouldn't it be easier to jump?" She tried, jumping, arching back, turning upside-down in the air, and landing on her feet. "Yeah, I think that's easier."

"Fine, do it that way. Let's play with sharp objects now."

Nabooru had brought four scimitars with her, two for each of them. She taught Yelena how to hold one of them above her head, the other in front of her body, how and when to attack, and to always watch the opponent.

When dawn broke, Yelena was, by Nabooru's book, a pretty competent warrior.

"We're done for the night."

"Great, can I eat some breakfast and sleep."

"Sure you can. After twenty laps."

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**CHAPTER TEN**

Over the course of the next fourteen months, Nabooru ceased to consider Yelena as the captive she took responsibility for but as a close friend. Yelena also treated Nabooru like a friend, and they would be seen everywhere together whenever they felt like venturing out around the fortress. Most of the time they stayed in the room appointed to Yelena, working out or practicing arithmetic.

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Summers in the Gerudo lands were brutally hot, and winter came with a moderate chill. The Gerudo donned jackets made of angora that matched their clothing to keep warm. Yelena had no such item of clothing, so she took the dress she wore when she came – colored emerald green – and cut off the skirt so she could wear it as a shirt.

"You look pretty good in green," said Nabooru as she watched Yelena put it on.

"Thanks. Green is a nice color; if I have children, they will wear it."

The door to the room opened. Standing there was a Gerudo guard clothed in violet.

"Yelena, the Great Kaoran wishes to speak with you. He requests your presence immediately."

Yelena and Nabooru went with the guard to Kaoran's throne room, discussing some gossip along the way.

"You know those quadruplet sisters, Nabooru? Joelle, Beth, Amy, and Meg, the ones who live out in the wastelands? I hear they've been messing around with magic again," the guard said in a hushed voice.

"Even though they've had direct orders from Koume and Kotake to stop?" Nabooru seemed dumbfounded.

"Yes, I guess they don't care. I know that by law only the supreme rulers can use magic, and those four have gotten themselves in so much trouble, I wouldn't be surprised if that one other person has them dealt with when they come to power –"

"Who is this other person you all keep talking about?" Yelena asked, annoyed.

"Secret information, Yelena. Only a Gerudo can know their identity." Nabooru answered.

"Here we are," said the guard as she stopped in front of the room. "Good luck with whatever."

Yelena went inside the room, expecting to hear Kaoran's voice shout at her, but instead, she heard nothing. Kaoran was sitting on his throne, of course, but his head was bowed, and he was looking intently at his feet. He held the Zora's Sapphire in his hands, opened out to the world as if he invited someone to take it.

"Hello, Yelena," he said quietly, looking at her. It seemed age had finally caught up with him. His hair was graying and falling out, and the skin on his face sagged and wrinkled pathetically. "You might be wondering why I want to talk to you. Well, my time here is almost done, and Amtel will rule the tribe for a period until the rightful leader returns. I have no more use for this Sapphire, so you are released from your captivity and are permitted to leave now." He held his hands out towards her, the Stone tempting her.

"Yes, thank you," said Yelena, for she could think of nothing else to say as she took the Sapphire from Kaoran.

"And I want you to have something else," Kaoran showed her a dingy sheet of paper with a loop of string going through the top of it. It read "MEMBER OF THE GERUDO TRIBE. This card allows the holder to come and go through Gerudo tribal lands as she pleases and allows access to all areas of the fortress".

"Really – you – think – I'm – part – of –"

"Yes, girl, yes. I was wrong to treat Nabooru the way I did. Her mother prejudiced me against her child, and although I can't find a way to make it up to her, I can do something for her friend. Now please go, and let this old man sort out his thoughts."

Yelena took another look at Kaoran, who she had only seen once before, which on that occasion seemed rude and bossy, but was now docile and kind. She turned and went back outside to Nabooru. She showed her friend the Sapphire (which was then put away in a bag fashioned from her old skirt) and the Membership Card.

"This means I can leave if I want. But Nabooru, I _have_ to leave. Give the Sapphire to the person I was getting it for in the first place. I might come back, but I really miss my brothers."

They looked at each other for a minute, until finally Nabooru threw her arms around Yelena in a hug. Taken a little aback, Yelena absentmindedly patted Nabooru on her back.

"Ah, how cute," came a haughty voice. Nabooru backed off and looked Amtel in the eye.

"I see you have sunk so low as to depend on the Hylian for friendship, Nabooru. Have you not learned from the countless raids we carried out that Hylians are scum, filth that frolic dumbly in their beautiful green lands while us Gerudo suffer in the desert?"

"I'm not scum, thank you," said Yelena boldly. "You're more scummy than Nabooru or I could ever hope to be."

Amtel inhaled deeply, then exhaled with a huff, again becoming enraged. "Nabooru, you have a weapon. Kill her."

"No, I don't want to," said Nabooru defiantly. "You're not my boss, Amtel, I don't have to take orders from you, and I challenge you to a duel."

Yelena looked at Nabooru in disbelief, and was shocked when Amtel said, "I accept."

Several nearby Gerudo had heard the challenge issued and accepted, so they bunched around, circling the two sisters, who started circling each other.

"B-begin," ordered Yelena with a choke.

Watching Nabooru and Amtel spar wasn't like watching a fight; it was almost like dancing, only with swords, and they seemed to be intent on killing each other. Yelena felt her breath get caught up in her diaphragm whenever Nabooru fell to the ground, flat on her face, just like she did when the two of them sparred.

But, to Yelena's relief, she got back up.

The match continued, the only sounds the moving of feet and the clanging of steel. Nobody cried or jeered; they all watched intently, waiting for something unknown to happen. Finally, Amtel was face down on the ground, Nabooru positioning one foot on her victim's neck, the other on her lower back.

"What's going on?" Kaoran had come from his throne room to see the end of the duel, Nabooru victorious. "Nabooru –"

"Match over," proclaimed Yelena. Seeing her friend win lifted her heart up and filled her with pride. However, Nabooru didn't move from where she was positioned, still pinning Amtel. She took one of her swords and threw it to the side, and buried the other into Amtel's skull.

Gasps. Screams.

It was then that Nabooru got off. She looked at Amtel's head, submerged in a pool of blood, and said, "There, I win. Permanently."

"NOO!" shouted Kaoran. He tried to walk to his dead daughter, but he gave a harsh cough and stumbled. A crisp _crack_ informed them that something was broken. He didn't try to lift his head or anything; his broken body drew sympathetic stares.

Yelena and the Gerudo stared at Nabooru in shock and disgust, for her actions had caused two deaths. One woman, however, said, "I'm glad Amtel's dead. She was so mean to everyone." Everyone else agreed with murmurs.

Nabooru looked Yelena's way, and Yelena hers. It was communication without words, where their stares said it all.

_I hope you're happy._

_I'm very pleased with myself. My birthright has been restored. What's not to love?_

_------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

When a Gerudo dies, it is customary to box their body up into a crate and throw it into the River of Sand in the Haunted Wasteland. That was done with Amtel, but since Kaoran was the ruler of the tribe, he would get a better send-off. He would get a weeklong process where his body was cleaned, embalmbled, and then burned, having his ashes taken out to the Colossus in the desert and buried in the Spirit Temple.

Yelena was now preparing to leave. During her stay, Penoa was kept in the fortress stables, well cared for. No matter how Nabooru begged her to stay for Kaoran's sending off, she insisted on going.

"I will see you again, I promise," Yelena tried to comfort Nabooru. "But I have things to attend to. You have to let me go."

"Okay, Yelena. But since I'm currently the leader, and you're an official member of the tribe now, you have orders to take care of business, say hi to your brothers, and come straight back. Understand?"

"Yes, I understand what you're saying, but I was always taught that family came first."

Nabooru laughed weakly. "Get out of here." She hugged her friend again.

Yelena hopped onto Penoa, said one last good-bye, and rode off into the coming night, back to Hyrule. She told herself that making sure the Zora's Sapphire was safe and secure in its pouch was an excuse to look back at the twilit Gerudo Fortress.

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**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

"Yeah, that was great. It's always good entertainment watching little mouse-shaped crawly things crawl along the wall then blow up."

A group of teenage boys were strutting through Castle Town on a cloudy winter morning. They were all bunched around one person, who was blonde, blue-eyed, and seemed happier than he had ever been in his sixteen years.

"And when you aimed it at the Cucco – priceless!" chortled Lein. "Remember when one of them exploded near the bigger one, it panicked, and tried to peck you to death, Thomas?"

"And I have the scars to prove it," the boy called Thomas flourished his right hand, bandaged and stained with blood.

The boys erupted into another chorus of laughter, before someone else spoke. His name was Kellert.

"So Lein, when's your sister getting back in town? I want to meet her . . . ."

"Kellert, she's too good for you. As awesome as you are, I wouldn't let her date you in a million years. And I've also kind of wondered where she is myself. I haven't seen her in a year," said Lein jokingly at first, then his tone switched to worrisome.

"Of course she won't date Kellert. She'll date _me!_" laughed a fourth boy, called Peter.

"Too good for you, too. Yelena's never been one to be romantic. She's always had dreams of this area all being one united country or something."

The other boys sniggered. "Yeah, and you'll be appointed king, Lein!" the fifth member of the group, Issachar, said with exaggerated sarcasm.

"Shut up, Izzy," said Lein jokingly. "Come on, it's getting pretty nippy; let's head to my place."

"What, and put up with your brother and his freak gang?" complained Kellert, although the boys were already heading that way.

"You're just scared of them, Kellert," said Thomas. "They're all big and muscular, but they probably can't spell those words."

Another bout of laughter, broken by Lein summoning the breath to say, "Yeah, Gaalif's always put brawns first. That's what he sees in those guys. But we have one thing they don't: brains. Plus, everyone likes us. Hey there, Chudley!"

A man in fine clothes was standing outside his shop near the Temple of Time talking to a creepy red-haired man with a huge pack on his back, and he stopped to wave back to Lein.

"See? People like us."

The boys walked through town until they reached the back alley secluded behind a building that was always closed during the day, weaving through corners until finally reaching a door that looked like any other door. On the door was the number "7". Cautiously, Lein opened the door.

The inside looked like a normal house. There was a round table in the middle with chairs pushed up next to it. Very little décor that barely got more original than a wall tapestry hung on the wood walls. Two beds were found in two different locations: one against the wall next to a pit for a cooking fire, the other up on a loft above the chamber pot. At the table sat Gaalif and several young men who were burly, barrel-chested, and gawking at what Gaalif was holding.

"Lein, you're home," he said complacently. "How was Bombchu bowling? A shame you didn't blow up there. I can't believe you even had the guts to touch one." His friends parted – almost on cue – to show that Gaalif was showing off the Kokiri Emerald again.

"_Whoa!_" said Peter, Issachar, Thomas, and Kellert in rough unison. "Is that the –"

"You bet, and it's mine, you can't have it." Gaalif told them on a whim. His buddies sniggered.

"Didn't say I wanted it," said Peter. "What are you doing, promising them they can look at it if they do whatever you want them to?"

"If I was going all out, I'd promise them to let them _touch_ it," said Issachar.

Gaalif shook his head. "I know you fools have enjoyed having Lein tell you how idiotic I am, but I want you to know this: I am far stronger and smarter than he'll ever hope to be. Say Lein, you know that one thing you got for you-know-who, how did you win them over? I say it was pity."

Rolling his eyes, Lein walked towards Gaalif. "Your snide comments are getting pretty old. Guys, go home for now. I'll meet up with you later."

"Okay, fine," said Peter.

"See ya," waved Thomas.

"Catch you later," said Kellert, clasping Lein on the back.

"Bye," said Issachar.

When all four of Lein's friends had left, Gaalif began to whisper to his. After a second or two they nodded. Another five seconds of murmurs, and stupid chuckling came from their mouths.

"Now go home, all of you." Gaalif barked. The extra boys got up and left. When they were gone, Lein proceeded to talk.

"Must you try and make me look bad in front of my friends? They don't give a care what you think of them or me. So cut it out."

"Cut what out? I'm your older brother; all I'm entitled to do is let you live. But honestly, how did you convince the Gorons to give you the Ruby?"

"The chief's son gave it to me because he's as scared of the Gerudo as I am." Lein said.

"That's funny," snickered Gaalif, "They just handed it to you? I exterminated some terrible monster for the Sheikah. I win here." He took care to leave out the fact that Gerudo witches created the monster.

"Out of all the things you've made a competition, can't you let this slide? Back when we lived in Rohoni village, you always made a big deal about how I did laundry and inside chores with Mother compared to your outside work and how it was so much harder. A while after the raid on the village by the thieves you scoffed at me for simply going to get Yelena while you fought off five thieves by yourself. And _now_ you're saying that you're better because you defeated a beast while the Ruby was just handed to me?"

"Oh yeah? I was held captive by the Gerudo by a year, went through rigorous training beyond any of your beliefs, and I had to prove myself to them before getting the Zora's Sapphire. And they're not exactly easy to please."

Neither of the brothers could believe that Yelena just popped in unexpectedly on them. Plus, they didn't recognize her. She appeared stronger than the last time they met; her dark-brown curls were tied back low on the nape of her neck, she boasted bronzed skin, and some much firmer arms shone from a rip in her sleeve. She also had two swords strapped to her back.

"Bout time you got back," muttered Gaalif, but Lein was much more excited to see his sister. He got up, yet was pushed away when he tried to hug her.

"I'm glad to see you too, Lein," said Yelena. "Not so much Gaalif. I've had enough redheads for a lifetime," she added with faint sarcasm.

"Did you get it?" Lein asked her excitedly.

"Get what? Oh, you're talking about the Sapphire. Of course, silly." From a green pouch tied to her belt, she got out the Zora's Sapphire. "I assume you bozos got the other two Stones?"

"Yup," said Gaalif.

"Yes, I did," answered Lein, going to get the Goron's Ruby from under his pillow.

"Good-o. We can go give them to Rauru and then live out our lives here. How about that?"

Both the boys nodded.

"Then let's get to it! Come on, come on, come on!"

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**CHAPTER TWELVE**

Along the way to the Temple of Time, the three reunited siblings shared the stories of their quests for their assigned Spiritual Stones. Yelena scoffed at Gaalif's account of how he heroically saved Impa from the grasp of the beast right when all hope was gone and whatever junk came from his mouth.

"And what about you? Befriending one of them? You're not my sister. They used their dark magic to kill the real Yelena and you're just a phony possessing her body!"

"Uh huh, you're right, Gaalif. I am an impostor. All us Gerudo practice dark magic and we have plans to take this all over," said Yelena sarcastically. "And stop talking about them like they're barbaric. They actually have an organized system of leadership and laws, and I like that. I wish Hylians would adopt that system, maybe modify it a bit, but you get the point."

"But they _raided_ our village," said Gaalif with building fury. "It's their fault that Rohoni got burned down!"

"See, big city prejudice has gotten to you. Some men burned down our village, not a Gerudo. And yes, I know she ran through our street, but do not blame her. Although I met that woman, and she was a real xxxxx" out of her mouth came a nasty name to call someone. Her brothers looked at her with bemused faces, but they kept walking. "And they steal from us because we have it a lot better here, and they need food since nothing grows out there. Some of them are actually pretty nice."

They stopped outside a restaurant to grab some quick lunch, retreating in a nearby alleyway to stash the Stones into Yelena's bag. It was then they realized they had no money to pay for food. Yelena told her brothers to wait outside for a while, and ten minutes later, she emerged with three little bags.

"Wow, you're good," said Lein.

"Thanks," said Yelena, handing him a bag.

"Did you – steal this food?" Gaalif opened his bag and pulled out a hot sandwich with meat and toasted cheese on it, seasoned with herbs.

"I would say it's impossible to live with the Gerudo for over a year and not pick up a few tricks. Let's lie low for a few hours."

"Why?"

"GIRL! GET BACK IN HERE!!!" A voice roared from inside the restaurant.

"That's why." Yelena darted away and the boys followed her all the way to the open field that lay to the north of town. There they ate their lunch and stayed there until the sky began to darken.

"You know, I've always wondered why it's called Castle Town," wondered Lein, looking up at the clouded sky. "There's no castle. Maybe someone wanted to build a castle, but their plans were interrupted somehow."

"I can't believe you stole those sandwiches, Yelena. We could be in trouble." Gaalif said with disgust. "You, of all people, wow."

"Shut up Gaalif. I see Lein is trying to get up some courage to stand up to you. Try telling him how you really feel toward him, Lein," Yelena pointed out, gesturing to her twin. She untied her hair and let it swing in the gentle breeze.

Lein nodded to his sister and looked Gaalif in the eye. "Gaalif, I – I am scared silly of you," he finally said, for Gaalif was staring him down.

"Never mind. You'll get there eventually. Hey, the sun's setting; let's go to the temple. But we must keep a low profile. Remember that." Yelena got up and started off back to town. Her brothers followed.

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"Thank you three very kindly," said Rauru as he took all three Spiritual Stones from the siblings and placed them on the table. "But why ever did it take fourteen months to get them back?"

"Yelena got herself captured," said Gaalif accusingly.

"It's not my fault," retorted Yelena with exasperation. "Their leader thought they could keep me here without real reason, other than the fact that he asserted his authority."

"Whatever, make up excuses all you want," scoffed Gaalif. "So what do you intend to do with the Stones now?" He was glancing around the temple as if he were looking for something.

"I will hide them in my little underground home, if that answers your question. Speaking of homes, where will you three live now?"

"We have a place," answered Lein.

"Give me the key, old man!" Gaalif had seized Rauru by the shoulders. "I want the key. Give it to me!"

"Gaalif, surely you don't want . . ." Yelena froze, flabbergasted.

"Yes, I want the Triforce. Nobody deserves it more than me!" Gaalif let go of Rauru and faced Yelena, his face contorted into some horrible visage. "I am the strongest, the –"

"Most selfish, greedy, bullying cad I've ever had the misfortune of meeting!" exclaimed Lein, surprising his siblings. "Did you not pay attention to Rauru? His intentions are clearly to keep the Triforce out of human hands, and you are putting yourself in front of the good of the world, simply because you think you deserve it!" He nodded.

"Well, what's the point of having some great power if you're not going to use it?" Gaalif blurted.

"I would say that the Triforce is best left in the Sacred Realm because –"

"Shut up, Rauru." Gaalif snapped at the sage. "If you won't plainly give it to me, I'll get some of my friends to beat you into submission." He ran out of the temple.

Rauru shook his head. "He thinks brute force will make me surrender the key to the Triforce. If I must, I will carry that secret to the grave."

"I won't let Gaalif or his thugs touch you, Rauru," assured Lein. He too ran out of the temple.

Rauru looked at Yelena, who had a smile overcoming her face. "Why do you smile? Your brothers are fighting, and you're going to let them do this?"

"Well, I'm really not a huge fan of their little skirmishes they've had all through our childhood, although they've matured a little. Gaalif's always been the victor, and I guess Lein's finally snapped. I'm proud of him." Yelena nodded.

"There's not much time, Yelena. A little before you showed up, I had a revelation of what was to happen next, and it has to be shared with you, before either of your brothers return with their friends."

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**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

"I know you can keep a secret, Yelena, so listen closely to what I have to say. I will not repeat it.

"The final key to the Sacred Realm isn't a real key; it is an ocarina. Here –" he retrieved from his coat a light blue ocarina and handed it to Yelena. "I want you to keep it, but this means you must leave town, and possibly risk being separated from your brothers again. Are you all right with this?"

"Yes, I am," she said, hastily stashing the little ocarina into her pouch. "I made friends with the Gerudo, and I could go back to them if needed. Of course, I'm expected to return. But why give it to me?"

"If I gave it to Gaalif, he'd use it to get the Triforce. If I gave it to Lein, Gaalif would pester him so. If I handed it to someone else, we'd probably never see it again. People in Castle Town have little appreciation for music."

"What I find intriguing is that it's not –" she looked over at the door quickly –"a real key, but a musical instrument. Why is that?"

"This was my grandmother's ocarina, and she left it to me when she died. I fused some sage powers into it, so it will open the Sacred Realm if you –" he looked towards the door, and Lein was there, along with Thomas, Kellert, Issachar, and Peter. "That I can't tell you. Go."

Yelena nodded and dashed towards the exit, running into her brother and friends.

"Where are you going?" asked Lein.

"Far away," said Yelena. "I can't believe how we've all grown. You and Gaalif used to argue about which chores were better and who got how much food. Now you're clashing over the Triforce itself. Lein, I'm proud of you for standing up to him, but I refuse to get caught up in this, like all the other times." She hugged her brother and ran off.

"Wait – wait – YELENA!" Lein called after her, but she didn't come.

"That your sister?" asked Kellert. "I mean, I don't think she's all that pretty, but she has a nice body."

"Don't talk about my sister." Lein said before approaching Rauru, friends trailing behind. "We're here to protect you. Give me the key, I'll go far away, where Gaalif won't find me, and I'll keep it safe."

"No, boy, I can't let you do that," protested Rauru. "I'll be fine. You and your friends go. I don't need protection."

"Okay, then, good-bye, Rauru," said Lein as he and his friends left the temple.

They found themselves in the central square, where Gaalif was marching their way followed by more people than his friends. They carried torches, clubs, swords, and brooms.

"Gaalif, what are you doing?" shouted Lein incredulously. "He wouldn't even give it to me!"

"We all want it, Lein and morons stupid enough to follow him around," answered Gaalif. "We all want the Triforce, and darn it, we'll get it! Won't we?"

The people behind him cried and hollered in agreement.

"And anyone who tries to stop us will have to deal. We're the ones who've kept this desire a secret from our parents, our wives, and our _brothers_. But we believe now to be our time to act!" the mobster's torches stuck out against the night sky.

"You're crazy," spat Lein. "Plain, outright crazy. Even if you burn down the temple and kill Rauru, you still won't have the Triforce."

Uneasy silence, broken by Gaalif's accusing voice.

"He gave it to you, didn't he? He gave you the key, and you're trying to leave before I catch you. Well, it's a little late for that." Gaalif moved on towards Lein, poising to attack, and right when he was about to swing a punch at his brother –

"Leave the kid alone!" A total stranger grabbed Gaalif by the back of his head and pulled him away from Lein. "I see you kids are arguing about the Triforce, and it should be left alone." His features were shadowed by the night, yet his voice carried defense, comfort.

"Is that you, Nicolas?" called someone in the mob. "You still owe me!"

"Why should I pay you money you don't deserve?" Nicolas retorted back. "See, for a while, us debtors have tried to work off our debts, but we work for too long for so little, we'll be in debt forever, and I'm sick of it!" He turned to Lein and said, "A few debtor buddies of mine are planning on leaving town, maybe you can come with us," he whispered to the five boys. They nodded visibly. "Good, go that way, and we'll meet you outside."

Lein, Thomas, Kellert, Peter, and Issachar began to walk around the unsuspecting mob, yet were stopped by the sounds of an arrow whooshing through the air, a pained groan, and a body hitting the ground.

"GET HIM!"

The five heard running feet, they were running farther away, yet they clashed with some other people, and they heard the sounds of fighting.

"What do we do?" asked Peter apprehensively.

"Get out and wait for Nicolas and his friends," said Lein firmly, although quivering at first.

"We don't even know this guy, and we're supposed to go with him?" questioned Thomas.

"Yes, Tom. Whenever Gaalif makes threats, he means it. Trust me. For now, we'll stick around with these guys, and if things go wrong, we go somewhere else."

"But what about our parents? Shouldn't we say goodbye?" piped up Issachar.

"No, we can't risk it. We want our families to be oblivious to what's going on, otherwise Gaalif could worm our location out of them," objected Kellert.

"_LEIN! COME HERE AND FACE ME LIKE A MAN!_"cried Gaalif.

"We go now." Lein told his friends. As they fled Castle Town, he looked back for a moment to speculate on how his life had changed in the past year. His hometown was razed . . . mother dead . . . separated from his siblings, especially his sister . . . his own brother after him . . . now he was running, running like Yelena was doing – where was she . . . .

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"Who are you, Hylian?" said the voice. Speaking was a Gerudo guard watching over the fortress at night. Now, she had stopped a Hylian girl on horseback.

"Currently that is none of your concern. Take me to Nabooru."

"You're back, Yelena? She'll be pleased. Come on."


	3. Chapters 14 through 20

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

It had been five months since Lein, his friends, and those debt men had disappeared from Castle Town to wherever they went. Rumor had it that they went to Kakariko Village and were being hidden by the Sheikah. One of the richest men from Castle Town, named Frederick, had agreed to go with Gaalif because Nicolas still owed him money, and if they found Lein, they could find Nicolas.

Gaalif had started with looking through Castle Town for Yelena, who just seemed to disappear into thin air. When he couldn't find her, he went to the families of Lein's friends and asked if their son had any favorite hiding places. The answer no frustrated him, and hearing it four times didn't help. He had his friends beat them until they couldn't move, and still no results were yielded. However, Kellert's mother said that the family had friends in Kakariko Village.

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"Gaalif, it has been to long," said Impa as she invited him warmly into her home. Currently in there were several men clad in blues, purples, and indigoes talking about normal day-to-day occurrences. One of the men's heads was wrapped up in a coarse white scarf, and their clothing boasted a red eye pattern.

"Impa, has my brother Lein come here? You remember him: blonde, innocent, and afraid of anything and anything. Have you seen him in the past five months?"

"Yes, he was here once, but – "

"Where is he now?" asked Gaalif impatiently.

"He and his comrades left, and I don't know where they went. Now, Gaalif, my son Sheik has heard rumors of your treacheries in Castle Town."

"Ha, what treacheries?"

The Sheikah man with the eye pattern on his clothing came to Gaalif. "I hear your main objective is the Triforce, and you believe that your brother knows something of its whereabouts. To find him, you have found his friends' families and tortured those poor people," said Sheik solemnly.

"So?"

"We cannot help you look for Lein if your prime goal is acquiring the Golden Power," said Impa apologetically, "for I am a fellow sage, a fellow guardian of the Triforce, and if I help you, I will be failing in my duties. Nothing will override this, not even the promise I made that if you needed something of us Sheikah, we would give it to you. With that being said, Lein left, and I don't know where he went. Leave the village now, or you will be escorted out by force."

Gaalif sighed, frustrated, and turned to leave. When he was outside, Frederick, his friends, and other rich from Castle Town who had people indebted to them were waiting. "They're not here," he said. "Let's go check down by Lake Hylia."

Impa watched the troupe leave her village, and saw that they were armed with swords and bows. "They're gone," she cried.

The lid to one of the barrels in the house lifted, and out popped Lein, who took a moment to stretch his upper body before getting out. Falling out of the closet were Thomas, Kellert, Issachar, and Peter, and the debtors emerged from a space behind a drawer. "Thanks for hiding us, Impa," said Lein.

"Is no problem," admitted Impa carelessly. "Why should I turn a blind eye to one committed to protecting the power of the goddesses? I am also happy to take his friends."

"Well, we're really thankful, Impa. See, we're on the run from our creditors," said Nicolas. "They always demand money from us, even though we have no way of raising it. We're sick of it, so we ran away." His fellow debtors nodded.

"Resistance. I like it," said Kellert.

"But, I watched them leave, and they had weapons with them. They'll probably try and fight if you run into them." Impa warned them. "Stay here, and you'll be fine. But if needed, you can make use of my secret passage, which leads to the Temple of Time."

"Won't they come back when they don't find us?" questioned another debtor.

"Don't worry, Henry," said Nicolas. "Although you may have a point. I don't want them to find us . . . I remember that fight in the streets of Castle Town a few months back. Quite a few people got killed, others wounded. I don't think anybody wants to risk that happening again."

"But must we solve our problems with violence?" said Lein.

"I believe that is our only option, Lein," said Nicolas.

"Let's not talk about those pursuing you," said Impa. "I will seal the town up, that way, nobody can get in from the field. Sheik and others will teach you the art of fencing so you will have a way to fight back should anyone be foolhardy enough to leave and attract attention. But for now, consider yourselves denizens of the village."

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Impa had created an invisible barrier in front of the village's entrance in about two minutes using her magic, and now the runaways were free to move around as they pleased. Lein took the time to get away and began to chase some Cuccos around. It was fun while it lasted, until he ran into a shop.

"Stay away from my Cuccos!" cried a girl's voice as she ran towards him. "You may think it's great fun to chase them around all you want, but what if one of them got hurt?"

"Look, I'm sorry," said Lein as he rubbed his forehead on the spot where it hit the wall, looking up at the girl. She was pretty all right, her hair short, straight, and dark, and her eyes small and gray.

"That's what all the boys say, they're sorry, you Hylian boys who come to the village to work but are only here to harass! Why, I –"

"Lady, look, I'm not here to harass anything. I'm here with about fifteen others under invitation of the Great Impa. My name's Lein." He noticed she looked nothing like any of the other Sheikah, who had light hair, tanned skin, and red eyes, yet the way she talked; she had to be a Sheikah.

"I go by Griselda," said the girl. "Now please tell me where you ran my Cuccos off to."

"There's one right over there, and there, and there," said Lein as he pointed at all the Cuccos in their locations. "I'll help you round them up if you want."

"Thank you very much, Lein, I'd like that."

The two picked up the Cuccos and deposited them in the little pen built outside the graveyard, and then talked until Lein's friends found him at twilight. They escorted him back to Impa's house.

"So, you like her?" asked Issachar mischievously.

"Who, Griselda? As a friend, maybe, I don't know," said Lein, going a little pink in the cheeks. Talking with her made him feel good about his situation, and for that blissful hour, all cares had been erased from his mind.

"You're pink, dude," said Thomas. "Pinkness in the cheeks is the sign of romantic feelings!"

"Dude, shut up," said Lein. "I just met her today."

"Okay, fine, whatever. But we came to get you so we could learn a little about how to wave a sword around. Sheik and the others are waiting out by that tree over there." Peter pointed to a tree that stood all alone in the middle of the grass. Indeed, a group of Sheikah was standing there with some swords.

"Does the Great Impa really expect things to get violent, Lein?" Issachar asked him, but Lein wasn't paying attention. He saw Griselda out again with a Cucco, scooping one up in her arms and turning his way. She must have seen him, for a smile came upon her face. He smiled back.

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**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

Although she had only left yesterday, it seemed like an eternity since Yelena had last been in the Gerudo lands. Indeed, Nabooru was glad to see her, and Yelena noticed in the torchlight that Nabooru had a cut running across her face.

"What is that cut?"

"Punishment. Usually, you are executed for murder, but since I was the leader, all I got was a slash across the face. It hurt like you can't imagine, but I survived."

"_Was?_ What happened?" asked Yelena as she and Nabooru headed to her room.

"I'll explain in the morning. It's late, you ought to be asleep, so good night."

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Nabooru greeted Yelena in the morning; with news that they were both invited to take breakfast with the rest of the tribe. The normal place for dining was in a large, open area inside one area of the fortress, where everyone sat down at one long table. The ruler sat in the middle of the table, the second-in-command across from her or him. Plates of the food were placed in the middle of the table for all to reach and take food from.

"Here it is," said Nabooru with pride and relief. "From now on, we can eat in here with everyone else. There's no Amtel or Kaoran to reject me or keep you captive." She took a seat in a regular wood chair across a chair that was bigger than the rest and painted red. It sat at the center of the table. "Sit next to me, Yelena," she ordered, and Yelena obliged.

Gerudos were slowly coming in, taking a seat at the table, yet the red chair remained empty.

"Doesn't the leader sit in that red chair?" asked Yelena.

Nabooru nodded. "But I'm not the leader anymore. I'm second-in-command."

"To who?" But her question was drowned out by the sounds of clanging stone plates laden with food being passed down the table and put down. People began to take and eat a small loaf of bread with some warm milk in a chunky stone goblet. It had been some time since she had last eaten, so Yelena was so absorbed in this mediocre meal that she didn't notice someone sit in the red chair until they said in a masculine voice "Who is this with the light skin?"

She looked up, and true to her pointed ears, it was a man. He looked remarkably like Kaoran, only a hundred years younger, and his nose was as long as her index finger.

"Um, hi." Yelena said sheepishly, for his stare intimidated her. "I, um . . . uh . . . ."

"Who are you, and what are you doing here, Hylian?" he demanded, not disrupting the eaters around them.

"See, Great Ganondorf, her name is Yelena, and she is here under my invitation. We go way back, she and I," intervened Nabooru. Yelena nodded hastily in agreement.

"I don't believe I was talking to you, Nabooru," said Ganondorf curtly. "Now, Yelena, I want you to –"

"Here is my card." She had pulled out her Gerudo Membership Card and waving it in front of his face. "Given to me by the Great Kaoran himself. I am an official member of the tribe, so I can come and go as I please."

"Fine then, you can stay. Sheesh, I hate those things," sighed Ganondorf before violently eating some bread.

Breakfast continued in silence, then Nabooru and Yelena quickly left and went into the Training Grounds.

"What's with Ganondorf?" asked Yelena, standing on top of the platform with Nabooru.

"Remember that other person that we kept talking about?" said Nabooru as she began to do some push-ups. "You too, down. Anyways, that's him. He's been out at the Spirit Temple on the other side of the desert this whole time. Those witches – we call them Twinrova – came yesterday, took Kaoran's body, cremated it, stuck the ashes in a jar, and took them to the Spirit Temple. Later that day, they came back with him, and he was crowned our new king.

"He's only been at it for a day so far, and I already think he's doing a crummy job of it. He thinks that we're too nice to people we rob, and we ought to use more force. Of course, he's only seventeen, a little young in my opinion, but I'll give him some time. You do not want to make him upset, he has quite a temper at times. I just hope he doesn't screw up the name Gerudo even more."

"How old are you?" asked Yelena with mischievous curiosity.

"Twenty-four."

Yelena stopped push-ups and was going to head into a room, but then she remembered. She already had conquered that room, and the whole grounds, for that matter.

"We need to redesign these grounds." Nabooru said sadly. "The rooms are stale, and I just get to the prize in the middle faster and faster each time. If someone could think up of some new . . . ." she looked at Yelena. "I appoint you the task of redesigning the training grounds. We just need to get his approval, and you're good to go."

Yelena got Ganondorf's reluctant approval to redesign the training grounds, and the next time Nabooru went thieving, she returned with some rolls of parchment, a quill pen and a bottle of ink. She also brought news of an uprising of debtors against creditors, and a man named Gaalif using violent measures as a mean to find something.

"Or someone," said Yelena, taking the parchment, quill, and ink. "That Gaalif guy's my brother, and he's probably after the key to the Sacred Realm."

"Sacred Realm?" asked Nabooru, but Ganondorf also asked this question as he entered the room. Yelena gave him a neutral look, then looked back at Nabooru.

"Seriously, Yelena, what is this Sacred Realm?" he demanded again.

"If you dropped the bossy tone, I might consider telling you," she retorted.

"Sadly, if you're part of the tribe, you have to do as I say. Now start talking."

Yelena rolled her eyes quickly, near invisible, and then proceeded to talk. "Mythology tells us that the world was created by three goddesses: Din, Nayru, and Farore. When they finished, they left the Triforce, which is kind of like their powers put in material form or something. It looks kind of like this," she drew a picture of the three-in-one triangle pattern on her parchment. "In order to get to it – no, no, I can't say."

"You can say if I tell you to, and I tell you to." Ganondorf ordered, but Yelena's mouth didn't move. Nabooru finished for her.

"To get it, you need three Spiritual Stones and some final key. Any efforts to get it are shot if you don't have the key. And I guess that's what her brother is going nuts over."

"Do you have any idea of this final key?" Ganondorf asked Yelena, his interest piqued. She shook her head in a blatant lie, thinking of the ocarina in her pouch.

"Get to designing, then. Once you have some good ideas for each room, then run them by me." He left the room.

"So I'm thinking of keeping the central room with the locked doors that you need to find all those keys to unlock. Our challenge will have to be placing the keys in elaborate puzzles throughout the grounds." Yelena and Nabooru had spent the past few minutes brainstorming, yet to think of anything. Yelena had taken a slip of parchment and drawn the entrance room with the three doors leading off, and the room in the center with the key maze.

"How about a spinning statue that requires you to shoot its eyes? Archery would come in very handy, I think," said Nabooru.

"That would work," agreed Yelena. "We could hide a key in one of the eyes. Oh, another idea! A maze . . . with boulders!"

They discussed their ideas and put the best ones down on paper, and then Nabooru sent Yelena on her way to show the plans to Ganondorf, up in the throne room.

Something new had been added to the throne room of the fortress: a door. Shutters for the windows. _This must be a guy who likes his privacy._ Completely forgetting about knocking, Yelena opened the door.

What she saw was sickening and disturbing. Ganondorf was sitting in front of a cauldron filled with some thick red liquid that smelled strongly of blood. The cauldron sat between Ganondorf and a dead animal, which was probably a hog when it was alive, but it was now laid on its back and cut open.

"Don't you Hylians have any manners? Closed doors mean privacy, what's going on behind them is none of anybody else's business." Ganondorf said in an aggravated tone.

"I was going to say, Nabooru and I –"

"Not now, Yelena. Go away."

"I don't think I will," said Yelena, shutting the door, trying hard to keep her eyes off of the dismembered hog. "You don't seem too happy about me, a Hylian, living in the fortress. You must be scared I'll overhear some important secret or something. But be assured that I plan to stay for a while. So in the meanwhile, can we try to act civil towards each other?"

"I guess," said Ganondorf reluctantly, not looking at Yelena as he mixed some brown powder with a mortar and pustule. "Just go away right now, and you can present your ideas later." He sighed heavily.

Still, Yelena didn't leave.

"It was about a year and a half ago when my village was destroyed and my mother killed. I had to leave what was left of my family to come here. It's hard to go on a mission and forget all about your family. I've been denied the right to grow up at a normal rate, but not as fast as you. If you feel the need to talk to someone, I'm always available."

The shutting of the door told Ganondorf that Yelena had left. He poured the brown powder into the cauldron, tossed the hog in after it, and sat down.

Who does she think she is, trying to relate to me? I don't see her having to rule a whole tribe at the age of seventeen. She has no idea what I'm going through. Then again, I've never had anybody offer to listen to me. It's always been on command.

Yeah, she's different from the other Hylians.

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**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

Lake Hylia was a beautiful, crystal-blue lake in the southwest of the Hylian territories. A village that also bore the name Lake Hylia rested on its shores. The village relied on fishing as its main economy, but the previous year had yielded little fish, meaning many fishermen had left to go to Castle Town to find work. They found themselves working long hours for very little pay, which eventually landed them into some serious debt.

Joan's husband Nicolas was among those who had left to work in Castle Town. He had left her and an infant son behind at Lake Hylia, trusting in the Zoras who often visited the lake to protect the village from potential Gerudo thieves.

In fact, the previous day, a thief had stopped by the village, and all she took was a hog, some parchment, a quill, and an inkbottle. Lake Hylia yielded very little gold or money.

Today, however, some armed Hylian men on horseback had come to the village and were going into everyone's homes. The man who had entered her house was tall, tan, redheaded, muscular, and he carried a sword and a scroll of parchment.

"Good day, Madame," said Gaalif as he sat himself down at the dinner table without permission. "Do you mind getting me something to drink?"

"I usually don't take kindly to strangers barging in unannounced, especially when my baby is trying to nap," said Joan sternly, grabbing a bottle of milk off the counter and handing it to Gaalif nonetheless. "What is it that you want?"

"Well, I assume you have heard news of the debtor uprisings in Castle Town, and many of them had fled town to parts unknown. I have a list of the men who had ran off, and I will read them off to you to see if you recognize anyone.

"Henry Alford."

Joan shook her head. She had heard of Henry, and how good a friend Nicolas had found in him, in his letters.

"Uzziah Morton."

"No,"

The list went on and on, until he finally said "Nicolas Black?"

"Yes, yes, that's my husband!" said Joan with excitement. "Is he okay?"

"If you paid attention to what I had said earlier, miss, you'd know that his whereabouts are unknown. My comrades and I are simply here to inform you that they have gone missing. Now if you please, get your baby and come outside the house."

Not knowing what this guy had planned, Joan went to the crib, picked up her sleeping son, and stepped outside her house. She noticed that everyone else in the village was standing outside their homes, too.

Gaalif drew a bow and an arrow. "I'm very sorry, my dear, but we must do what we can to find them."

There was no reaction from Joan when he shot her son first. She stared at Gaalif with hatred seeping from her expression. She didn't even bother to dodge when an arrow came flying through the air towards her.

Frederick came up to Gaalif. "Is this really necessary, Gaalif? Must we slaughter a whole village to bring them out of hiding?"

"My thinking is, Frederick, is if we kill the inhabitants and set the buildings ablaze, then they'll see the smoke and come running to make sure everyone's okay. When they see that everyone's not okay, then they'll be too overcome with grief to try and fight back against us."

"Must we use violence, though?"

"Violence is a good way to solve problems. If you sit down and talk it out, you never know if the other party is sincere in wanting to make things work, and the problem could spring up again. Kill the enemy, and poof! The problem's gone.

"Light some torches and burn the houses. They're made of wood; it shouldn't take long."

Nicolas and his friends from Lake Hylia were hanging out with some Sheikah around the lone tree in Kakariko Village. They were listening to Sheik play his golden-framed harp for a bit, then he put it away when Nicolas mentioned magic arts.

"We're all skilled in martial and magical arts, see," said Sheik. "If we're cornered, we can simply –" he pulled some powder from a side pocket, threw it on the ground, and he was gone in a puff of smoke. A split second later, he reappeared behind Henry. "Do that. I'd teach you, but our law says that only Sheikah can learn our art. This is why the Great Impa wishes that you learn how to use a sword."

"Darn," said Uzziah Morton sadly. "That's so cool, though . . . ."

"Hi everyone!" Lein had come to join the group, Griselda holding onto his arm.

"Look here, it's the married couple," said Nicolas. "Known each other only two days and you're convinced you found true love. Well, I was with my wife for four years before we got married. I wonder how she'd doing . . . ."

"Time cannot measure all things, you silly man," said Griselda.

"Yeah, don't be so ---- is that smoke?" Henry had lost his train of though when he saw a tower of thinning black smoke rising to the clouds in the south.

"It looks like it's coming from Lake Hylia," observed Nicolas. "Oh man! Joan!"

"I-I have family down there, too!" exclaimed Henry in a panic.

"Sheik, you have to let us get out of the village and check to make sure that our families are okay," demanded Nicolas. "If they're okay, we'll come back with them. Please!"

Sheik threw out his arm towards the entrance of the village, and a sound similar to that of shattering glass ringed through the air. "Go, but be quick," he said to them. "Don't attract any unnecessary attention."

The scene before them at Lake Hylia was terrible. Not only were the houses burned completely, but also the bodies of its denizens were lying before the ruins, perfectly fine – with the exception of arrows sticking out of them.

Henry and Uzziah went to go find their families, but Nicolas recognized Joan's auburn hair sticking out against the grass straight away. He fell by her side and wept uncontrollably. The sight of his dead son was too much to bear. "Curse – you – Gerudos!"

"Hello there, Nicolas," said a voice behind him. He turned, and there was Frederick.

"What – happened – here?" said Nicolas, voice shaky.

"A rather clever ploy to draw you all out of hiding," said Frederick. "My friend Gaalif thought that this would be a good idea to find you, hoping you will lead him to his fink kid brother and his friends."

"So, _you_ did this?" Nicolas' tone was now filling with anger.

"Yes we did. And how quick you were to conclude that it was the Gerudo's doing. If you remember, they never kill."

In a flash, Nicolas had Frederick pinned on the ground, and the two were wrestling on the ground, and then Henry shouted, "Nicolas! Stop! HE HAS A BOW!"

Nicolas took heed of this warning and threw himself off Frederick, in time for an arrow to whiz through the air and hit Frederick in the chest. Gaalif swore when he realized he hit Frederick instead of Nicolas.

"Guys, come on, we have to go back!" he said. "We have to leave them. Come on!"

The three took one last look at their demolished hometown and the bodies of their loved ones, and then ran for it. Lucky for them, Gaalif and the rest of his cohorts forgot to mount their steeds and pursued them on foot.

Nicolas, Henry, and Uzziah dived behind a boulder outside the lake to recover their breath.

"We can't lead them straight to the village," said Uzziah. "What do we do?"

Henry peered over the boulder to see that their pursuers were running in the opposite direction, towards the forest.

"They're heading to the forest," he reported. "Let's go."

Nicolas, Henry, and Uzziah went along the western edge of the field, and as they passed the Gerudo lands, a Hylian woman sporting Gerudo garb stopped them. She had a horse with her.

"Do you all require need of my horse?" she offered them.

"Yes we do, fair lady," said Henry. "Do you want to come with us?"

"We can't afford extra baggage," snapped Nicolas. "We're running from them, remember? Those loonies who want to kill us because we're poor and we know things?"

"Sorry, I can't come," said the woman. "Just take my horse. I have no use for him anymore." She stroked her horse one last time and passed him over. "Good luck with whatever."

Although it was a tight squeeze, all three men were able to ride Penoa across Hyrule Field and back to Kakariko. Gaalif and crew had run off to the forest to throw them off, and it worked. They followed them to Kakariko.

"Sheik, quick, seal up the village. They burned down the village as a scheme to catch us, and they succeeded." Nicolas shouted once they entered Kakariko and were accosted by Sheik.

"Are they coming?" asked Sheik. Nicolas nodded. "Get inside, then. All of you!"

Sheik thrust out his arm towards the entrance of the village, and he could tell that the barrier was reinstated by the air around the gate shimmering unnaturally. But one of Gaalif's thuggish friends had made it in, everyone else waiting outside.

Gaalif and the others were pounding on the barrier, as if they thought that enough blows would destroy it. The one who had gotten inside the village was being stared down by Sheik, and he was holding his arm in front of his face, as if he was afraid of the Sheikah red eyes. In a split second, Sheik had him pinned to the ground on his stomach, hands tied behind him.

"SHEIK! LET US IN!!" demanded Gaalif angrily. "RELEASE HIM! LET GROMWELL GO!"

"No!" said Sheik fiercely. "That barrier isn't coming back down for a long time. But don't worry," Sheik picked up the man called Gromwell and threw him over his shoulder. "He's safe with us. What's one captive compared to a massacred village?" He walked back to his mother's house. Once inside, he tossed Gromwell onto a chair and stared him down some more.

"Sheik, what is this?" said Impa, astonished. "Isn't this one of Gaalif's friends?"

"Yes he is. He got in right before I resealed the barrier."

"_Resealed?_ You mean that you broke the barrier before?" Impa sounded shocked.

"They burned down Lake Hylia in an attempt to draw them out of hiding, Mother. I let Nicolas, Uzziah, and Henry go to see if their families were all right, but I assume they're not. The men returned on a horse, faces blotchy from crying, and news that they had been seen."

Impa shook her head testily, like she could not believe the outcome of something. "So they really are resorting to violence after all," she said sadly. "We won't let them in, and we can't let Lein, his friends, and the debtors out. So it's a siege."

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**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

Yelena watched the three men who she had handed Penoa over to ride off to Kakariko Village, feeling empty because she had given up her last tie to her old life. She looked south, the reason she had ventured from the fortress in the first place, to see what was happening. Lake Hylia's village had burned down, the villagers slaughtered execution-style.

There was a group of men on foot . . . about thirty of them. The one who seemed to be their leader was a tan redhead. At first she thought her eyes were playing tricks with her, thinking that it was Ganondorf. Ganondorf, who had come to trust her over the past five months, who had found a friend in her.

But it wasn't. It was Gaalif. It had to be Gaalif.

_What was he doing, razing a whole town? Is this over the Triforce?_

She turned around and went back to the fortress.

"So there's a war going on."

Yelena had caught up with Nabooru and Ganondorf outside the training grounds. These three were the top three in the fortress: Ganondorf because of his birthright as king, Nabooru because she was second-in-command (also by birthright), and Yelena simply because the other two liked her. Quite a few Gerudo resented this, a Hylian having a hand in ruling over them. There were four quadruplet sisters who were rumored to be scheming up a plan to kill Yelena and put themselves in her position.

"War? What's war?" asked Yelena. "Not once in my education have I heard of a war."

"In a nutshell, Yelena," said Nabooru, "war is when you have two groups who oppose each other and they choose to use violence to solve their problems. If your brothers are chasing each other and people are dying because of it, then we have a war."

"Gerudo have had quite a few civil wars in our past," said Ganondorf. "While you Hylians have always seemed to get along."

Yelena nodded. "Ever since news of the Triforce leaked into our realm, things haven't been the same." She felt tears welling up in her eyes, and ran off without warning. Ganondorf took a step to follow, but was stopped when Nabooru grabbed his arm. "Trust me, she's best left alone for a while."

He heeded her warning, but a part of him wanted to go on, to go comfort her . . . Yelena, who had been the first person who was ever kind to him. He wanted to be kind back.

Four women came out of the training grounds. They all looked identical, with the exception of their clothing. The first wore a rich purple, the second clothed in green that rivaled Yelena's eyes; the third wore blood red that clashed with her hair, and the final woman in a deep sky blue.

"Meg, Amy, Beth, Joelle, what do I owe this intrusion?" asked Ganondorf. He didn't care much for these sorceress sisters, but he decided that letting them run around free was the best choice.

"Working on some stuff," replied Meg, in purple. "We heard about this Triforce and Sacred Realm crap from that Hylian, and it sounds pretty cool to us."

"Our plans are to go and take it over," added the green-clad Amy.

"We'll go take the Golden Power, in all its gold and powerfulness," continued the blue Joelle.

"And bring it to you, O Great Ganondorf!" finished Beth, whose red clothing combined with her red hair made it look like she was a walking flame.

All four bowed deep to Ganondorf and left the fortress.

"And you're just going to let them, not even aware of what could happen if they fail!" spat Nabooru. Ganondorf nodded absentmindedly, for he paid attention to nothing that the sisters had just announced. His mind was on other things right now.

Yelena had once taken a music class in school, where she learned the basic fingerings of an ocarina. Whenever boredom reared its uneventful head, she would play around with the ocarina's notes and range, seeing if she could make a song. For a while, it seemed her efforts seemed futile, but she had played some notes in a certain order that pleased her ear.

What was it again? B, D, A, G, A, B, D, A, B, D, high A, high G, back down to D, C, B, A.

It was reminiscent of a **lullaby** that her mother would sing back when she and Lein were babies, although a few notes were very off. Now how did the rest of it go?

D, C, B, C, B, G, C, B, A, B, A, E, D, C, B, C, B, G, some note, high G.

Should I ever have a child . . . .

The next morning, Yelena woke up and heard the sound of rain.

Rain?

She bounded up quickly off her mat and ran to the open door, where the rest of the tribe was standing, watching the rain in awe. Feeling the cool of the falling water pleased her dry skin.

"What is it?" asked a random Gerudo.

"I don't know," said her friend. "Go touch it."

"No, you touch it."

"You're curious about what it is. _You_ touch it."

"Hey, it's rain," Yelena told them. "It's water falling from the sky."

"You touch it, then!" joked Nabooru, who was nearby.

Yelena squeezed her way through everyone else and out into the rain. She stood there, letting her sun-baked hide drink up the rain, inhaling its faint scent, and treating her ears to the sound she hadn't heard in a year and a half.

"Come on out everyone. It feels really good!"

One by one the Gerudos filed out of the building and spread out to feel the rain. Some stared dumbly up at the sky in awe like turkeys, others caught little drops in their hands to look at, and Ganondorf walked over to Yelena.

"I-I need to talk to you in private." To Yelena, those words sounded like they took immense courage to say. She nodded and followed him back to the horseback archery range, currently deserted. They got underneath a tarp, and Ganondorf started talking.

"What's going on with your brothers?" he asked her.

"I guess they're fighting again," said Yelena distantly. "At first, it was petty stuff, but now," she sighed and looked away at the rain. "I know Gaalif, the older one, has always been prone to violence, but it never carried over to anything prior to this." Yelena shook her head. "He must really feel strongly about this."

Ganondorf didn't know what to say. He looked at Yelena, wanting to form the right words in his mouth, but he wasn't sure which words.

"Why is it any of your concern?" added Yelena unexpectedly.

"Yelena, really, I need your opinion on something," said Ganondorf. "I-I've . . . fallen in love."

She looked at him with wide eyes. "Oh, you've fallen in love, huh? And you want to get the inside scoop on how to talk to a girl from an actual girl, right?"

"Uh, yes. But it's not anyone you think it could be."

"Really? Who's the girl whose life you're trying to shove that abnormally large nose into?"

Ganondorf chuckled (Yelena had taken to nicely tease him about his nose), took a deep breath, and said "You."

Yelena looked like she had been hit in the face with a barrel of bricks. "_Why?_" she asked, like he was out of his mind.

"Please, don't make me name every item on that endless list of your good traits. All you need to know is that I love you, and that should be good enough."

He bent down his head to kiss her. Yelena did see it coming, but it still took her by shock when it happened. _This is wrong . . . shouldn't be happening . . . ._ She pulled away.

"You can't parade this around," she said calmly. "If you had read the book of Gerudo law, you'd know that the male king can't pick a favorite or engage in intercourse with a Hylian."

She remembered what Nabooru had said: don't make him upset.

"Who needs to know?"

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

Gaalif and comrades remained camped outside of Kakariko Village everyday for the next year and a half, and every day they would hammer and ram against the protective barrier, yielding no results. Those inside the village paid no attention to it and went about their day-to-day lives, placing their trust and confidence in Sheik's magic.

Every so often, Impa would sneak out using the secret passage in her house connecting it to the Temple of Time to go gather news in Castle Town. The big news of the month was that the workers in the town who felt cheated of decent wages had gone on strike. Their employers had finally gotten sick of it and were using violence to try and get their workers to come back to work. Several fights in the streets had broken out, resulting in about ten casualties and other injuries.

"Why do we have to fight to solve our problems?" asked Sheik sadly, peering out the window of Impa's house as he, Lein, Griselda, Thomas, Kellert, Issachar, Peter, Nicolas, Uzziah, Henry, and the others sat around the table to listen to this news.

"Desperation," replied Impa with equal sadness. "After years of failed attempts of talking problems out, they're sick of talking. And I'm ashamed that we're partaking in it."

"Don't feel bad, Mother," said Sheik. "I feel installing those devices in the Shadow Temple is to keep Gromwell captive in could be an efficient way in controlling Gaalif. It seems the two of them are pretty close. In fact, Gaalif hasn't shown up at all to try and hammer at the barrier today."

"Is there another way into the village?" questioned Lein worriedly, drawing his arm around his wife's shoulders.

"Not that anyone outside of this room knows of," said Impa, looking over at the red carpet on the floor in front of the drawer. "We're very fine."

Lein looked at Griselda, his blue eyes making contact with her gray ones. It was then he remembered Rauru, and that Gaalif and his comrades weren't present today.

"Impa! Is Rauru okay?" he blurted suddenly, turning towards the sage.

"He was when I met him today," she answered.

"What if Gaalif went after him?"

"Rauru will be okay, Lein. Stop worrying." Griselda snapped, finally speaking. "I need to tell you something."

"Yes?"

"I'm pregnant."

"All right, old man, where's the key?" Gaalif demanded of Rauru. He had gone by himself to Castle Town while his cohorts remained camped outside Kakariko, not laying siege today. Right now, he had the old sage pinned to the large stone door that never opened. "I've wasted two years trying to get into Kakariko, where Lein is, completely ignoring the possibility that you never gave it to him. Tell me how I open the door you're up against, and I'll go away."

"Your greed is getting the best of you, Gaalif," said Rauru strongly. "Make amends with your brother. Rebuild what can be rebuilt."

"No." Gaalif gave Rauru a hard punch to the stomach. Rauru recoiled and crumpled up on the ground. "This is going to go on until you tell me where it is."

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**CHAPTER NINETEEN**

Yelena spent the next two years stringing Ganondorf along, employing her best acting skills to convince him that she was in love as well, when she really wasn't. All their supposedly romantic meetings were conducted in secret behind closed doors at night, for he and others would go rob villages at day. And nobody was supposed to know about it.

One day, she was heading to the training grounds to supervise construction of some new rooms when an arm grabbed her and dragged her into her room.

"What's going on?" demanded Nabooru, shoving Yelena in and shutting the door. "I got a report from the night watcher that she saw you sneaking off somewhere last night. Where were you going?"

"A place," answered Yelena.

"Well, duh. What place?"

"A place in the fortress,"

"You're not funny, Yelena. Be specific."

"Okay, here's what's going on." Yelena dropped her voice. "Ganondorf has the hots for me. But I don't. However, I remembered what you said about making him upset – don't – so I've been leading him on."

Nabooru gave her such a dirty look that Yelena thought she was looking at Amtel again. "Lying is just as bad. But where you were last night?"

"Closed doors mean privacy, what's going on behind them is none of anybody else's business." Yelena quoted. "He swore me to secrecy. Of course, now, I kind of regret it . . . ."

"You – did – not – "

Yelena nodded sheepishly. "I did."

"Girl, stop surprising me!" spat Nabooru in disbelief. "Why are you doing this? You can just tell him the truth that you – you know, but you're playing him instead! Why?"

"I read the book of law, and I can face banishment if I displease the king. He gets mad at me, I'll be kicked out of the Gerudo territory, and I'll be forced to get caught up in my brothers and their stupid war."

"You're still breaking major laws!"

Yelena scoffed. "Spoken by a woman who murdered her sister."

Nabooru scowled.

Four weeks went by, and Nabooru watched Yelena like a hawk for any suspicious activity. But there were no more reports of her sneaking around at night. The only thing that happened was that Yelena got sick.

"Are you feeling okay?" Nabooru asked her once Yelena returned from the latrine room from a fresh round of vomiting.

"Let's see, I've been feeling like crap for some time and I've been puking my guts out. I'm doing great!" answered Yelena sarcastically. "Why is it your business?" She sounded offended now.

"I see your point. You're only my best friend and I'm just the second-in-command of the whole Gerudo tribe. It isn't any of my business after all," Nabooru returned the sarcasm. "Go to breakfast and eat something."

"No, I don't want to eat," complained Yelena as Nabooru pushed her to the open room where meals were eaten. Laid out on the table were platters of the usual breakfast food: bread and milk, stolen from unlucky Hylians in a little village outside the Kokiri Forest. Ganondorf had promised the residents their lives in exchange for food.

Everyone was filing in and sitting down in their assigned seats. Ganondorf sat down, gave Yelena a quick grin, and proceeded to eat. Yelena grabbed some bread the moment she got within reach of a platter and shoved it into her mouth, chewing violently. Ganondorf paid no attention, but Nabooru stared with concern. She gently nudged Yelena to get her attention, and she looked Nabooru's way. Nabooru pointed at her stomach, then moved her hands outward to mime a pregnant belly.

Yelena's face flooded with fear. _Could_ she be pregnant?

"Maybe," she said, grabbing some more food. What if she was pregnant? How would Ganondorf take the news? How would the rest of the Gerudos take the news? They'd know right away who the father was. They'll know laws were broken, and there would be punishment.

"Yelena," whispered Nabooru, trying to avoid the attention of Ganondorf, sitting right across from her. She then mouthed, "Tell him!"

"No!" retorted Yelena.

"No what?" Ganondorf had taken notice.

"Um, no, I don't want anything to do with my brothers' fighting," Yelena said quickly. She then felt sick again; more vomiting coming her way. "Excuse me for a moment."

Later that day, Nabooru caught up with Yelena in her bedroom.

"You're going to have to tell him you're pregnant," she said. "Nobody here gets sick otherwise."

"He'll freak out, Nabooru," protested Yelena. "I can't tell him. But I want to know: has he fathered any other kids that I'm not aware of?"

Nabooru shook her head. "He only has eyes for you. And if you're not telling him now, in private, then you'll risk having your stomach tell in a few months, and the whole tribe will know."

"Shut up, will you?" Yelena was suddenly angry. "I guess I'll leave, and go hide from my brothers somewhere else." Her tone switched from anger to downtrodden.

"Why do you want to stay away from them?" asked Nabooru earnestly.

"I got sick of having to play buffer for them. I did all the time when we were younger. If I show up again, they'll both try to get me on their side. Their fighting has worn me out, I'm sick of it, and I just want to stay out."

"Wars never last forever. They'll stop fighting one day."

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**CHAPTER TWENTY**

Lein's worries shifted from Rauru to Griselda and the coming baby now. They lived with her older sister by the entrance to the Death Mountain trail, where her sister ran a small potion shop. For five months, the others saw neither of them until Griselda insisted on going to see Impa.

"Why are you leaving the house?" asked Griselda's sister, Andim. "You're not supposed to go anywhere once you start showing."

"I don't care about those stupid customs," said Griselda defiantly, rubbing her stomach, which had begun to grow bigger. "I want to know what's going on in Castle Town. You know, catch up on some gossip."

She and Lein walked over to Impa's house, and when they were there, a comatose elderly man lying in her bed shocked them. He had several bandages wrapped over his head, to where at first they thought it was just Sheik taking a nap.

"Impa, what happened?" Lein left Griselda's side and ran over to Rauru.

"I think it was Gaalif," said Impa. "He probably thinks that Rauru will know more about the Triforce than you do, Lein. My guess is that he was tortured into unconsciousness, but he's coming around now."

True enough, Rauru stirred, then his eyes slowly opened. With great labor, he sat up and looked over at Lein. "It's good to see you," he said weakly. "Have you seen your sister?"

"Good to see you too. I haven't seen Yelena in two years. I'm so sorry that I forgot about you. See, with trying to ward off Gaalif, and a baby on the way –"

"It's okay, it's okay," said Rauru. "I didn't tell Gaalif anything – it seems I've gotten better about keeping my mouth shut now – so he beat me into this state and left me for dead on the floor of the temple. Us sages can tell when the others are in danger, so Impa felt it and came to save me. I owe you much, Impa."

"Don't mention it," said Impa, blushing.

"She'll now keep me here until I'm completely recovered, or maybe even longer. Of course, Kakariko is the safest place to be right now, if nobody can get in except for the Gorons, and thanks to you, Lein, there are friendly relations with them."

"Oh yes, Darunia," Lein remembered his Sworn Brother and how he had taken over upon his father's death as the Goron chief.

"Why is Kakariko the safest?" asked Griselda, walking over slowly to Lein.

"Gerudo raids have been on the rise," said Rauru. "You pick up a lot of news from listening to prayers, let me tell you. There are even rumors of how they have powerful magic that could even best that of the Sheikah, and – "

"Even greater than the Sheikah?" interrupted Impa. "So, if they tried to rob Kakariko, they could? Break down our barrier and take our valuables?"

"Impa, they're just rumors," said Rauru in an attempt to calm her down.

"I don't care if they're just rumors. What if Gaalif finds out about this and tries to recruit them?" added Lein.

"Don't you think they've preyed long enough on the Hylians? They need to be put down." Impa said finally. "We'll be back." She went out of the house.

"Impa!" cried Rauru weakly. "Ah, that woman. She's probably scared that they'll one day be a danger to the Sheikah."

Lein ran to the window and looked out by the lone tree. There, many Sheikah men were meeting to listen to Impa and the report of what was going on. Then, in a flash, they had all vanished. It then hit him.

_What if Yelena's been with the Gerudos this whole time?_

That would explain Penoa's return.

Yelena had now fallen into the habit of avoiding Ganondorf whenever she could, for who knew how he would react at the news of her pregnancy? As usual, Nabooru noticed this behavior but did something out of her norm: not confront Yelena about it.

On this particular spring afternoon, Yelena found herself having to run off for a round of vomiting. When she came out, there Ganondorf was.

"What's going on? You've been sick for some time now."

With a sigh, Yelena began to speak. "See, I've been putting telling you off for some time now, but I'm pre—"

"SHEIKAH! THE SHEIKAH ARE ATTACKING!" Someone had shouted in shrill panic.

Ganondorf seized Yelena by the hand and they ran out to the main area of the fortress. And yes, there were the indigo-clad Sheikah engaged in fights with Gerudos. The Sheikah used no swords, but relied on their martial art skills and magic to confound their adversaries. Ganondorf let go and went to duel Sheik. Yelena looked around nervously, wondering what she should do.

Yelena made a run back inside, only to be grabbed by someone.

"Are you named Yelena?" asked the grabber, a Sheikah.

"Yes. Please let me go."

"You must come with us. Your brother misses you."

The Sheikah took out some powder, threw it on the ground, and they were both gone. Ganondorf saw this, unfortunately. He shouted in fury and socked Sheik in the stomach.

Sheik fell onto the sandy ground, hearing his mother's scream when she saw what happened to him. He tried to get up, only to be knocked back down. The Gerudo man attacking him was kicking the side of his head nonstop and relentlessly, shouting, "Where did he take her?" He had no energy to answer.

The Gerudo held his foot over Sheik's face, then crashed it down. And the world was no more.


	4. Chapters 21 through 25

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE 

Yelena found herself still being held onto by this strange Sheikah man; only they were at some village with houses on ledges, a well, and a windmill. Not to mention there was grass under her feet for the first time in two years. The door to a nearby house flew open, a young blonde man running their way.

It took some time for her to register his face; after all, it had been two years since she had seen a Hylian man, let alone any of her brothers. She didn't even object when Lein flung himself onto her; in fact, she hugged him back.

"Lein, please, let me go." Yelena said tiredly.

"Okay," said Lein, backing off. "Come on inside. There are people you need to meet."

Back at Gerudo fortress, the victorious Gerudos were tossing the bodies of the defeated Sheikah into the River of Sand out at the Haunted Wasteland. The woman who was with them had grabbed the body of one who was killed by Ganondorf and vanished.

"Nabooru!" called Ganondorf angrily. She came to him hastily.

"Yes?" she asked with a small amount of worry showcased by her voice.

"Where do the Sheikah come from?" he asked. "One of them took Yelena!"

"I . . . I don't know," said Nabooru shakily.

He stomped on the ground in anger.

"Did she ever tell you that she and I think that she's pregnant?"

Ganondorf looked at her incredulously.

Impa returned to her house late in the night with nothing but a bundle of clothing tucked under her arm. It was hard, burying her son deep within the bowels of the Shadow Temple, yet she wouldn't want Sheik buried anywhere else. Impa had taken his clothing off his body and planned to store it away with his golden harp, which would never again entertain late at night when the village was restless.

"Are you all right, Impa?" asked Kellert, who was sitting next to Yelena, when she reentered her home with her head hung in grief.

"Where's Sheik and everyone else?" questioned Lein, sitting at the table with Griselda.

Impa shook her head sadly. "They're all dead," she spat. "Those damned Gerudos –"

Now, Yelena buried her face in her hands and shook with sobs.

"Yelena, it's like I said," said Rauru from the bed, "Gerudos will do anything to protect themselves."

"But – but – they would never _ever_ . . . ."

"Apparently so, girl," said Impa. "They took out the warriors, my son among them. I had to fight their male leader for the right to bury my son. He's very, very, violent, I tell you."

Yelena folded her arms over her stomach, thinking about Ganondorf and his child that she was carrying. She nodded in agreement.

No Gerudos showed up for the next four and a half months anywhere in the Hylian towns. This time was spent preparing for Lein's coming child and Yelena gestating hers.

Yelena had no problem keeping her baby's father's identity a secret, for she was very ashamed of him ever since the whole Sheikah episode.

Gaalif and crew had even disappeared off the map, it seemed, for it had been a while since they had tried to batter down the barrier. A party was thrown in the village to celebrate their apparent surrender. Everyone living there came out of their houses and danced around the lone tree – that is, except Griselda, whose baby was due any time now. Yelena also stuck with her as they stood away from the partygoers.

"I miss being not pregnant," lamented Griselda. "It's been a long nine months, but it will be worth it."

"You lucky woman, who's almost done. I've got about five months to go," said Yelena.

"It'll fly by, trust me. In fact, this is the one thing that has kept me off of my sister's fatal sickness. Lein and I agreed, that if it's a girl, we'll name her Andim for her."

"That'll be nice. I think that if mine's a boy, I'll name him Nathaniel for my father, but if it's a girl, I'll name her Carole, for my mother."

"That's really nice. Both my parents died when Andim and I were very young, and so some batty old man, who died of old age, raised us. He really didn't like us, I think, because our father was a Sheikah who married a Hylian woman, so he hated us because we were only part Sheikah."

"That's better than my kid's heritage," said Yelena. "Don't tell anyone, but the baby's father is the male Gerudo."

The music played by two men stopped temporarily, then they struck up another lively tune in a fast-paced three-four time.

"Oh, it's my favorite Composer Brothers song," said Griselda. "They call it the Song of Storms," she started moving her head in time to the music, but then suddenly stopped. Her face looked surprised, and she looked down to the best of her ability, but her belly blocked whatever she was trying to look at.

"Yelena, go find Lein, Impa, someone. My water just broke."

Yelena moved through the crowd of people, trying to avoid bumping into people. Finally, towards the middle of everything, she found Lein.

"Party's over," she said hastily. "Griselda's about to have her baby."

Lein followed his sister out of the crowd over to Griselda, who had sat down on the ground. She saw Lein and sighed in relief. Yelena picked her up and carried her into Impa's house, Lein following behind.

Yelena gently laid Griselda on the bed, and then lit some candles to illuminate the room.

Lein sat by Griselda's side, holding her hand during three hours of labor and a difficult delivery.

"It's a girl!" Yelena said as she bundled up the baby girl in a clean blanket.

Lein forgot about his wife and walked over to Yelena and took his daughter from her. "Hey there little girl, looking at me with those blue eyes. It's Daddy! Let's go see your mother." He walked back over to Griselda. "Want to look at our daughter, honey? Honey? Griselda?"

Griselda was lying still, mouth slightly open and eyes closed. She didn't seem to be breathing.

"Griselda? Griselda!"

Yelena stayed rooted on the spot, for she could tell by Lein's reaction that Griselda had died in childbirth. She closed her eyes for a moment, wondering if the same fate awaited her in five months.

She thought that Griselda's death hit Lein harder than Mother's death did, although there was something to take his mind off of Mother. Now that he was walled into the village, doing nothing, he had plenty of time to grieve. He would go to her grave each day for hours for the next week, so upset he even forgot to name the baby. Yelena got sick of it and marched to the graveyard with the baby.

"I know you loved Griselda and all, but you now have a baby. You're her parent, not me. I'm just her aunt. You need to name her."

Lein turned away from the gravestone and faced her. "I know that she wanted to name a girl Andim, but I didn't like Andim all that much."

"Then what do you want to name your little bundle of joy?" asked Yelena, handing the baby over to her father.

"I want to name her the shortened form of Griselda.

"Zelda."

**CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO**

Gaalif peered into the Temple of Time from the entrance again, looking to see if Rauru or Lein had shown up there. Seeing that it was empty except for a few people who were praying in front of the stone door, he returned to the tavern where he and his gang camped out in.

The tavern was dark and musty, even on the sunniest of days such as this. People sat at circular tables and drank their drinks while talking about stuff. It was usually filled up with the rowdiest people in town, who would be incarcerated if there were a law enforcement squad in Castle Town.

"Nobody there," he said when he sat down with his group. After Frederick's demise, he would consult with another character, who went by the name of Olrup.

"Are you sure this is a good plan, Gaalif?" asked Olrup doubtfully in his dull hiss of a voice as he scratched his bald head. "Just run off from the village without explanation?"

"My thinking is that – Sure, some whiskey, please," a girl had stopped by and asked him if he wanted something to drink. "Anyways, if we leave for a while, that might convince them that we've given up. So the barrier will be broken, and they'll all run around again, and the first place Lein will come is the Temple of Time with Rauru. I can get the key to the Sacred Realm. You can also get your hands on this Henry Alford guy and get your money from him. The chances of them all running around together are very good."

"It's nearly foolproof, but there's one problem: what if they don't want to leave?" asked Olrup.

"I don't know."

The waitress came back with a large tankard of whiskey, which she placed down by Gaalif and walked off. He took a huge swig of it. "You know, I kind of feel bad of how I treated my siblings when we were younger. I've driven my brother into hiding and my sister off the face of the planet. I haven't heard from her in three or so years."

"You have a sister?" called someone else in the group, sitting at an adjacent table.

"Yes, I do, and she's too good for you," retaliated Gaalif. "But you've gotta think about the bigger picture. So what if your only living relatives hate you, as long as you're in possession of the power of the gods? It's almost like you control the gods themselves!"

Someone on the other side of the tavern stood up on their table to look at Gaalif. He knew that this was the maniac guy who was laying siege on Kakariko so he could get his hands on the Triforce. He got down from the table so he could sneak out of the tavern.

"Hey you!" the man froze and looked at Olrup. "Aren't you that one guy, Jacob Flanders, who owed me fifty rupees?"

"Yes, and I paid it back," said Jacob, a small note of fear in his voice. "I'm also a guy who thinks the Triforce is best left alone, thank you very much. If the gods intended man to have it, they'd provide an easier way to get it."

"Boy, shut up!" roared Gaalif. He flew out of his chair to Jacob and delivered a punch in the face. When he was done staggering, Jacob returned the favor.

Soon, the whole tavern was thrown into chaos as people all over started brawling. Gaalif and crew slipped out to go camp behind the Temple of Time as they waited for the fighting to die down.

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**CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE**

Life in Kakariko Village had lost all reason to hold any fear or panic over the next four months. Lein spent this time raising Zelda with help from Yelena, who was preparing for the arrival of her own baby. Even though Gaalif had vanished, she would always look over to the entrance of the village, seeing if Ganondorf was coming. And if he were, she wouldn't know how to react. Even though he made a good friend, he could still be a jerk if he wanted to, and she had the pregnancy to prove it.

Yelena never mentioned Ganondorf to Lein, who always pestered her for the identity of the baby's father (whenever he asked, he looked like someone who wanted to kill). "If you're raising your baby on your own, there's no reason I can't," she would say after refusing to name a name. Although she wanted to forget Ganondorf, she missed Nabooru quite a bit.

The ninth month of Yelena's pregnancy hit, and she responded by moving about at the pace of a glacier. Whenever she saw a chair or something, she immediately sat down, and when it was time to get up again, she took a while to get up.

She, her brother, and his daughter were at the house that belonged to Griselda's family back when they were alive, where they lived nowadays. Lein was playing with Zelda as Yelena stared tiredly into space. It had been a slow four months.

A knock on the door.

"Come in," called Lein.

Impa entered, carrying a cradle in one arm and a bundle of blankets in the other. "I hear the baby's due any day now," she said to Yelena, "so I brought some things over that were Sheik's back when he was a baby. I had saved them for his children, but he won't have any, thanks to the father."

Yelena looked at Impa, surprised.

"If you've been living with the Gerudos for two years, then there's only one man they want around. I'm not stupid, Yelena."

Now Lein stared at Yelena. "Here I was, thinking you had been kidnapped and raped because of your refusal to talk. But you –"

"Well, if it makes you feel better, it wasn't exactly consensual," snapped Yelena. "I pretended to be in love so I wouldn't upset him. And if you upset him, you can risk banishment. I did what I had to do to stay out of this one. Obviously, it didn't work."

"Yelena, what's happened to you? Your biggest worries used to be whether or not you did your schoolwork correctly or, or Gaalif's mood today. Now, you've lied to save your own skin. How can you be my sister?"

She shook her head sadly. "I don't know. I guess that I have changed."

"OH MY GODS!" someone shouted from outside. "THEY'RE GETTING IN!"

The three looked at each other, then Impa said, "We need to leave town. To my house, quick."

She helped Yelena up so the four could go as quickly as they could to Impa's house and the passageway to the Temple of Time. They were almost to the back doorway when Yelena groaned. Lein turned to see her bent over, her face in anguish. Drops of water were coming from under her dress. Impa picked her up and carried her into the house.

"Rauru, lift up that carpet and open the trapdoor!" she barked upon entering the house. The sage obeyed, and they went down into a dark tunnel, lit by an occasional lantern that they followed. Every now and then, Yelena would cry out due to her birthing pains.

"Yelena, as soon as we reach the Temple, I'll make people leave and shut it down so you can have the baby," said Rauru. "We shouldn't be too far now."

Indeed, about five minutes later, another trapdoor opened and Rauru ascended to shut up the Temple. He let everyone else come up, and Impa laid Yelena down in front of the stone door so she could give birth.

"It's a boy," said Lein upon seeing his nephew. "Lookie there, Zelda, it's your cousin."

"A boy," breathed Yelena, guessing that the rules of Gerudo genetics didn't apply to her.

After a few hours, the five of them returned to Kakariko, everyone except Impa staying in the secret tunnel as Impa surveyed what happened in the village. She gathered them, saying that some boys had pranked everyone out of boredom. Their parents were to punish them severely for throwing the village into a panic. Lein was relieved, as was Rauru.

Yelena didn't care. Sure, she missed Gaalif a little, but her son was the core focus now.

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**CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR**

Three weeks went by without any more events. The twin siblings lived together with their children, raising them. Yelena was concerned since little Nathaniel (she had named him that) didn't ever cry.

"How will I know if he needs something in the middle of the night if he won't cry?" she asked Impa, concerned.

"He'll probably grow up to be mute, dear, if he's not crying," said Impa.

Yelena nodded, her head's movement contradicting what was going on inside. It was hard to fathom, life without speaking.

"I think Impa's talking silliness," she began to coo to Nathaniel. "You'll be a right out chatterbox when you're older, just wait and see. You've just got a premature will; you won't admit your problems to Mama, will ya? You wanna be a tough guy, don't ya?"

Nathaniel stared up at his mother with his blue eyes, waving his hands unconsciously. He looked more like his uncle than either of his parents, and nearly identical to how Zelda looked when she was his age.

"Keep telling him that if you must, Yelena," sighed Impa disapprovingly, "I've got to go. Got leader stuff to do." She left the house.

"Say, Yelena, do you think you should leave and go find the father?" suggested Lein as he bounced Zelda on his knee playfully. Zelda's face lit up with delight at this amusement.

"No," said Yelena. "If you're raising your baby by yourself, no reason I shouldn't. I can do it. Could you pass me that blanket on the arm of your chair? Thanks." She turned away from her brother so she could position herself and Daniel to breast-feed him.

"You know, Yelena, I've always wondered this ever since this big thing started."

"War," interjected Yelena. "It's a war if you have two opposing sides using violence to solve their problems."

"Okay, war," said Lein. "If I had the ability to consult the dead, and I consulted Mother, do you think she would be proud of us?"

"She'd be proud of you," smirked Yelena. "If Mother had lived, she'd disown me for my unwed pregnancy. And she'd also disown Gaalif for what boneheadedness he'd up to these days. You got married before having your baby and are friendly with a lot of people. Plus, I always thought you were the favorite."

"Why's that?"

"I was at school all the time, and Gaalif would work outside and get himself into all sorts of trouble – he would walk around town and go right by the window of the school building. You always stayed inside and did the chores with Mother. She –"

"Can we stop talking about Mother now?" barked Lein, stilling his leg.

"Surely, you still don't feel guilty, after four years, do you?"

"I do. I could have saved her, Yelena. Had I been braver, had the flames not been so widespread –"

"See, you did the smart thing by running away," said Yelena. "Widespread flames were your walls. They would have burned you up right with Mother.

"Let's not dwell on this anymore. Let's forget the stupid things we've done, and move forward."

Some time later, both babies were laid down for a nap in their room so their parents could have some quiet time. However, that was interrupted when Rauru entered the house followed by a Goron, a large slow-moving Zora, and a little fairy that glowed of a blue aura.

"Lein, it's time to talk," said Rauru.

"My Brother!" cried the Goron, running to Lein and swooping him up in a hug.

"Glad to see you too, Darunia, now please. I can't breathe," pleaded Lein, and he was released. "Rauru, what are we talking about?"

"You have already met Darunia, the Goron chief, it appears. Also with me is King Zora, and Navi, the fairy representative of the Great Deku Tree.

"Well, the four of us have been meeting in secret, and we decided that it would be for the benefit of all the many races and tribes here if the Hylian territories united into one nation under one ruler."

Yelena's attention was secured. _My lifelong dream . . . ._

"The trick, however, is to convince the populace of Castle Town that this is a good action," continued King Zora.

"There has been violence there for the past few years, and I'm sure the innocent among them wouldn't mind some authority to end it," said Rauru.

"Who would rule?" piped up Navi.

"That's what I came to Lein about," answered Rauru. "Castle Town trusts me with their faith and spirituality, so they wouldn't object to whoever I appointed to the throne. And I think we need someone like Lein in charge. And Yelena."

The sibling exchanged looks.

"B-but we've got children to care for. How will we balance governing a kingdom with raising our children?" asked Lein.

"I've already spoken to Impa. She will care for the young ones as you rule."

"Will the Gerudos be included in the kingdom?" asked Yelena.

"Well," said Darunia regretfully, "The biggest motive for unity is to protect one another from the Gerudo thieves. Their king not only thirsts for riches, but also for blood."

"Hey! The town outside the Kokiri Forest was just razed by the Gerudos. Nobody will want them in the country, those greedy, prostituting thieves." said Navi.

"Shut up." Yelena told Navi defiantly. "I've lived with the Gerudos for about three years, and they're really good people. They only steal because the desert climate won't support agriculture, and they need food."

"They don't want food anymore," said Rauru. "Ganondorf has been spending the past ten months searching the area for something or someone."

Yelena's breathing suddenly halted from revelation. Ganondorf was looking for _her_.

"Shall we drop the subject of the treachery of the Gerudos, then?" said King Zora pompously. Darunia nodded in agreement.

"As soon as Gaalif and his comrades are stopped, we will set up the Kingdom of the United Races of Hyrule. Lein and Yelena, you will be rulers until your passing, then the eldest of your two babies will take over." Rauru stated finally. "Oh yes, Yelena. Remember you-know-what? Do you still have it?"

She knew he meant the ocarina, so she nodded. She had been using it to play the lullaby that put Zelda and Nathaniel to sleep.

"Very well. Good day to you all." With that, Rauru, Darunia, King Zora, and Navi left the house.

A smile lit up Yelena's face.

"Your dream's about to come true, Yelena," said Lein.

"Yes, it is," she said, dazed. "I kind of wish that the Gerudos could be included in the kingdom. They really are good people. I'd hate for just Ganondorf to taint the whole tribe's image more than it already is."

Crying.

"Go tend to Zelda, Lein," said Yelena tiredly. She looked out the western window of the house, thinking of Nabooru, and how much she missed her.

It was great having a real friend . . . .

"Do you know where the Sheikah live?" Ganondorf demanded of the traveler. "I've looked all over Castle Town, Lake Hylia, the Kokiri Forest, and the gods know where looking for the Sheikah settlements."

"Um, um, Kakariko Village," answered the ragged traveler, very much intimidated. "But nobody's been going in or out for some time now. There's a magic barrier that's making this possible."

"I know magic, don't worry," said Ganondorf confidently. "The Gerudos have beaten the Sheikah once; we can do it again."

_I'm coming for you, Yelena._

A week went by with no happenings at all.

Today, Yelena was playing her lullaby to put Nathaniel to sleep as Lein was in another room with Zelda, when she heard the cry of "GERUDO! GERUDO!"

_Nonsense_, she told herself._ Nobody can get through the barrier._

"DEAR GODS! HE BROKE THE BARRIER!"

_He_?

Yelena placed the ocarina on the nearest table and looked out the window, still holding Nathaniel. And it was true: Ganondorf was looking around for signs of life. And then –

He spotted her.

She exited the house and went to him, still holding the baby.

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**CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE**

The next chain of events was a blur to Yelena. All she knew was that one moment, she was walking away from the house with Nathaniel, and the next, she was walking and talking with Ganondorf along the Zora's River.

"But why did you name the kid Nathaniel? Why not Ganny or something like that?"

"My father's name was Nathaniel, he died when I was about twelve. Plus, he looks nothing like you, thank goodness. I don't know what I would do if he got your nose."

He couldn't help but chuckle.

"But how can he be a boy? He has a Gerudo parent; he should be a girl."

"Apparently, the rules don't apply in our situation."

"Can I hold him?" Without waiting for an answer, Ganondorf stole Nathaniel out of Yelena's arms and looked him over. "He doesn't even look remotely like me. And yes, I know you're thankful."

The walk continued in some silence, until they came to the Kokiri Forest.

"Let's get out of here."

Yelena looked at him, dumbfounded. "Out of where, and why?"

"I mean, run away to some other country. Just you, Nathaniel, and me. We'll leave this hellhole behind. The pressures of running the tribe have become too great for me, Nabooru can do it, and you won't have to worry about your brothers –"

"Ganondorf, I can't leave," intervened Yelena, snatching Nathaniel back. "Rauru the sage is working with the rulers of other tribes to unite into one kingdom, and I agreed to reign with my brother."

"You're going to rule a nation, a whole, nation." Ganondorf sounded strained as the words left his mouth. "I assume this will be a . . . prosperous nation?"

"I hope so."

"But why rule alongside your brother, who's been causing so much trouble? If you're going to rule with a male, why shouldn't it be the man who's the father of your son?"

"That decision was not yours to make. When I was captured, I had the images of slain Sheikah imprinted in my head. All were slain on your orders. You have proven yourself to be bloodthirsty, Ganondorf, and the people of Hyrule don't need that."

"W-why do you say such things, my dear lover?" he asked in disbelief.

"_Lover_, it's a funny word. See, I'm really sorry, but I never loved you, I still don't and I never plan to. I just played along to stay out of my brother's war."

"So you LIED to me!" Saddened disbelief became rage. "I HATE LIARS!" Ganondorf ripped Nathaniel away from Yelena and placed him on the ground nearby before punching his mother in the face.

Yelena staggered under the blow's force. Before she could straighten back up, she was hit in the back with this strong, tingling pain, enough to knock her to all fours.

"Twinrova taught me a few tricks," he said maliciously.

The next thing to hit Yelena was this terrible chill on her back, which knocked her onto the ground. Then, the cold became heat, and she screamed in pain.

Ganondorf formed a dark purple energy sphere in his hand, and released it, hitting Yelena in the back of the head. She didn't move afterwards.

He turned to Nathaniel, wriggling about on his back, blissfully unaware of what just happened. But before he reached his son, he heard the hooves of a horse.

Lein jumped off of Penoa and faced Ganondorf.

"HOW DARE YOU ATTACK MY SISTER!" he raged.

"The lying woman deserved everything she just got," said Ganondorf coolly. "If you don't mind, I'll be taking my son and going."

"Oh no you're not," said Lein. "I don't want my nephew with the likes of you. I will nurse Yelena back to health and she will continue to raise him. You have no share in Nathaniel's life, you monster."

"I'm not going to argue with you. I will go back to my lands and await your arrival with the baby. You have twenty-four hours before I return to Kakariko." With that, Ganondorf turned and left.

Lein turned to look at Nathaniel, but he wasn't there. Neither was Yelena. However, the grass was disturbed and bent over, like someone half-alive was crawling into the woods.

He went into the forest, finding his sister on her knees and one hand, carrying Nathaniel in her other arm.

"Yelena, what are you doing?" he said frantically.

"Lein, I'm about to die," she said weakly. "And I don't want my son to have any part in the violent world. The Kokiri stay out of all conflict. He'll be safe here."

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Trees surrounded the Kokiri Village, with houses shaped like large tree trunks. What appeared to be children with fairies were enjoying their day-to-day lives, which were interrupted by a tall man carrying a woman who was carrying a baby.

One Kokiri woman named Wania was stopped by the man and asked to see the ruler of the village. She led him to a secluded section of forest, an open clearing with a large tree with a circumference that could easily rival that of half the distance across Castle Town and probably half as tall as Death Mountain. Small branches were arranged on the trunk to look like eyes.

"O Great Deku Tree," said Wania, "These outsiders beseech you."

The tree spoke with a low, but soothing voice.

"Thank you, Wania. Now, outsiders, what dost thou beseech of me?"

"Put me down," Yelena breathed to Lein, and he obeyed. She was on her knees, holding Nathaniel, breathing with ease, but she still appeared a mess. Lein saw severe burns on her back. "Great Deku Tree, you see that my time on this earth is nearly done. And you should know of the struggles happening in the outside world. I ask that you raise my son as a Kokiri." Shakily, she extended her arms out to the gargantuan tree.

Seconds passed in silence as Yelena's breath became labored.

"I sense something in thy child, a great . . . destiny. He has a home here."

"T-thank you . . . ." she fell over, Nathaniel picked up by Wania.

"Wania, thou shalt care for this child," the Great Deku Tree said. "Pray, sir, who are you?"

Lein took a second to figure out that the Deku Tree was talking to him; he had knelt by his sister's side. "I am this woman's brother, the baby's nephew. I am all right with him staying here, but there is a concern for his safety. See, his father . . . ."

"Say no more, sir. I shalt use my powers to seal the forest for ten years, so that all who entereth will die, likewise all that attempt to leaveth. The magic shalt taketh effect as soon as thou leaveth, sir, and be broken when I die."

"Okay," said Lein with relief. He nudged Yelena for signs of life. Nothing. "Yelena?" He rolled her over to see closed eyes, a dirt-defiled face, and a closed mouth. No breathe, no heartbeat.

_No, it couldn't . . . . ._

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	5. Chapters 26 through Epilogue

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX 

The world had seemed right, but now, it was all gone. Lein forced his mind to accept that Yelena was dead, that he would have to respect her dying wish of leaving Nathaniel with the Kokiri ("You're our little **link** to the outside world, baby boy." Wania was overheard saying), and he would have to confront Ganondorf.

Now was not the time to mourn. He took Yelena's body, left the forest, got on Penoa along with the corpse, and rode to the Gerudo territory.

Lein was stopped at the entrance of the fortress by a Gerudo woman who asked him who he was and what his business was.

"Do you recognize this woman?" he held up Yelena's head for her to see.

The Gerudo stared, wanting to show emotion, but abstaining. "What is your business here?"

"I've come to see Ganondorf," said Lein.

The Gerudo woman gave him directions, and then ran off to a private place. For the first time in three years, Nabooru wept.

Lein rode Penoa up the levels of the fortress to the lone square building on top, stopping outside, getting off, and carrying Yelena inside. Nabooru was true to her word: Ganondorf was inside, sitting on his throne, head bowed down as if in deep thought.

"What?" he said quietly.

"It's Lein," said Lein. "I bring news. Look up. See the fruits of your temper."

Ganondorf looked up. To Lein's surprise, all he said was "Where – is – Nathaniel?"

"He's being raised by the Kokiri in the Kokiri Forest. There is a magic invoked preventing anyone from entering or leaving the forest for ten years or until the Great Deku Tree is killed. Nathaniel will be safe."

Bowing his head again, Ganondorf began to cry silently. "You gave my son – my _only_ child – to those fairy children?"

"It was her dying wish,"

Simple tears became sobs.

"Get – out – leave – my – lands –take – the – body – with – you." Ganondorf sputtered.

Before he left, Lein tracked down Nabooru so he could talk to her. They met in Yelena's old bedroom.

"She slept in here," said Nabooru fondly. "I remember the first day we met, I was such an outcast I couldn't even eat with the rest of the tribe. But now I'm second-in-command. So many memories . . . ."

Yelena's body was placed on the mat, Lein and Nabooru kneeling beside it.

"What became of her baby?" she asked.

"He's in the Kokiri Forest now. He'll have a good life." There was something he needed to say on the subject of her actual death, but he didn't know how to say it without the words having the wrong affect.

"Ganondorf killed her."

Nabooru froze.

Later that night, after Lein had left, the Gerudos were meeting for dinner as usual. Nabooru didn't show up. Ganondorf saw her grab some food and leave the hall, so he followed her to Yelena's room.

"Why are not eating with the rest of the tribe?" he asked her.

"You should know why," she snapped. "Lein told me you killed Yelena."

Ganondorf forced a chuckle. "Did he now . . . but let me tell you, she deserved it for lying to me! I'm not too happy with him either, taking my son away from me . . . ."

Nabooru turned and faced the wall, away from Ganondorf. She couldn't bear to look at him, the man who murdered her best friend.

"Suit yourself, then." A shutting door followed this sentence.

_Right when I thought I couldn't hate anyone more than I hated Amtel, he pulls this._

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**CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN**

"We have only one option now regarding the Gerudos," said Rauru with slight aggravation as he looked through the drawer where Yelena kept her trinkets, talking to Lein, still by the corpse of his sister. "They must be eliminated. Before anyone else ends up like Yelena."

"Rauru," Lein had noticed the pouch that Yelena always worn fastened to her belt. He looked inside to find a light blue ocarina. "She carried around this ocarina, and now I remember, she'd use it to play a lullaby for Nathaniel. She taught it to Impa so she could play it for Zelda. I have no use for it. Do you want it?"

"Ocarina?" Rauru's attention was piqued. "Yes, yes, give it to me," he said hastily, snatching it from Lein's hand. "Now, back to the subject of the Gerudos. I say you reconcile with Gaalif, tell him what happened, and you and your friends can band together to stamp out the Gerudos."

"But Rauru, Yelena was right," protested Lein. "There are good people. Will they have to die as well?"

"If fruit can go rotten, so can people. Yes, this Gerudo you speak of must also die."

"The thing is, I don't know where Gaalif is right now. He's been gone now for a year or so."

"He must think someone else has the key," said Rauru, turning the ocarina around in his hands. "They did . . . ."

"What do you mean?"

"Lein, it's time you knew why your sister is dead. It's my fault, all my fault. This entire crisis.

"See, the day you three came with the Spiritual Stones, after you and Gaalif left the temple, I gave Yelena this ocarina and told her to go far away. Had I not entrusted it to her, she wouldn't have gone back to the Gerudo lands, preventing her meeting Ganondorf. Had she not met Ganondorf, they wouldn't have a child together, and he wouldn't kill her."

"But what's so special about the ocarina?"

"It's the key. This ocarina has magic powers, including opening the door to the Sacred Realm."

_Huh_, Lein thought to himself. _No wonder Nathaniel always fell straight asleep when he heard the lullaby. But all this death over a musical instrument?_

"And Nathaniel himself . . . when I first saw him, Lein, I had a vision. That child may be separated from what's left of his living family, but he will grow up to do great things. He will be the hero that Hyrule needs. Gaalif is not the true enemy; Ganondorf is."

"You mean, he'll have to fight his own father?" This was a foreign idea to Lein.

Rauru nodded. "Nathaniel needs help, though. There are five other temples in the known world. Each needs a sage, but only the Sage of the Shadow Temple – Impa – knows her calling by far. It will be his duty to awaken the rest. But they aren't all easy to reach.

"One is deep within the forest, one in the crater of Death Mountain, one at the bottom of Lake Hylia, one right in the graveyard, and the last in the desert. He will have to go by foot first, but then if we carry a task out properly, he can warp, minimizing time."

"What kind of task?"

"Each tribe has a song in the music style unique to them, linked to the temple they host. If I were to cremate Yelena, divide the ashes into five portions, sprinkle them outside each temple, and play the song, then Nathaniel will have these means."

"What? Cremation? I'd like her buried with Griselda, if you don't mind!"

"Lein, understand. If we are to help Nathaniel, then we must. She is the mother of the hero; nobody else's ashes will work."

"But how do you intend to get to the forest? The Great Deku Tree is using its power to protect the forest, to protect Nathaniel. You can't get in."

"I am a sage, my own powers will override the tree's as long as I am in the forest." Rauru stated with confidence.

"All right, I guess," said Lein with melancholy as he took a look at Yelena. She seemed so peaceful, as if she knew, even though she was dead, that nothing could hurt her now. How would things be different had she known about her son's destiny? "But how is Ganondorf a threat to the rest of Hyrule again?"

"Again, my fault," said Rauru. "He must have heard of the Triforce, like everyone else, and he is obviously filled with anger, otherwise Yelena would still be raising Nathaniel. Just how did he kill her?"

"Sorcery."

"He's been set up by Twinrova, then. Lein, Yelena was just the beginning. Ganondorf will move on to kill for the Triforce. There is no telling what his motives are; we just know that he will use violence and force to get it accomplished. The man's heart is full of greed, I am sure."

That night, Rauru left to do the work that he described earlier. He told Lein to stay home with Zelda as he carried out the cremation and left town with the ashes. Impa reinstated the protective barrier behind him.

And all Lein could think about was Nathaniel at this time. The baby didn't know the work that was cut out for him, what a great fate he had laid out for him. But he would have to know.

**CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT**

"So, Olrup, you're telling me that they have magic which will break anything?"

"Yes, I am,"

Gaalif, Olrup, and twenty others were heading under the cloak of night to the Gerudo fortress, where rumor had it that the Gerudos had some dark sorcerous powers that could overcome anything.

"Olrup, everyone else, wait here. I'll go myself," suggested Gaalif as he hoisted a heavy burlap sack over his shoulder before venturing by himself into the fortress. Upon entering, he was promptly stopped by Nabooru.

"Stop! Who are you?" she demanded.

"My name is Gaalif, and I am here to see Ganondorf," he said with shaky confidence.

"Top tier, the lone building," she said tiredly. As Gaalif walked away, he heard her mumble, "If any more Hylians come here this week, I swear I'll . . . . _Gaalif?_"

Gaalif found his way up the fortress's tiers all right, up to the lone building. He knocked on the door, and was welcomed in by Ganondorf.

"Another Hylian?" he sighed. "What do you want?"

When he was seated comfortably inside at the table in the center, Gaalif proceeded to talk.

"For about four years now, I've been pursuing my brother because he holds the key to the Sacred Realm and the power of the goddesses. However, he's fled to Kakariko Village, which is protected by the Sheikah's magic. My men and I have heard that you Gerudos also have magic. Would you consider breaking down the barrier for us so we can enter the village?"

"What's in it for me?" asked Ganondorf.

"These, which I stole from the Temple of Time," Gaalif emptied his sack onto the table, the contents being the Spiritual Stones. "And a share in the Triforce. Think about it. With the Triforce, you could bring your people out of your impoverished state and have a share in the green lands of Hyrule – maybe even have it all for yourself."

"I like the way you think. Go back to your men, rest up, and tomorrow, we break in. Besides, I have a score to settle with someone in Kakariko myself."

The following morning, Rauru made it back into the village and the first thing he did was plop himself down for a nap at Lein's house, where he was meeting with his friends for the first time since Yelena reappeared.

"She reminds me of my son," said Nicolas as he held Zelda. "Because of that – that – _bastard_ Frederick, he's dead, along with my wife, and . . . who am I kidding. Ranting won't make them come back."

"We're really sorry about your sister, dude," said Thomas.

"And Griselda. My girlfriend and I are going to marry, but probably not have any kids," piped up Peter.

"Shut up with your sympathies. It won't make them come back," said Lein as he took Zelda back. "We just have to be on our toes, that's all."

"Say Lein, is it true that your nephew is being raised by the Kokiri?" asked Henry Alford.

"Yes, and I don't mean to sound rude, but it's none of your business."

"Why don't you make up with your brother? I want to go back to my family in Castle Town," complained Kellert abruptly.

"He's fallen off the map, remember?" said Issachar. "Thank goodness."

Zelda's face began to screw up as if she was preparing for a cry. "Naptime, I think," said her father as he carried her off to the nursery.

When Zelda was asleep, the men enjoyed a few rounds of card games, no one person winning it all, because they played until every person won at least once. (Peter accused Nicolas of cheating when he won, but everyone laughed it off). An earsplitting noise that sounded like shattering glass interrupted Henry's dealing out new hands.

"Uh, what was that?" asked Kellert apprehensively.

"I'll go check," said Lein. He popped out the door and took a look around, utterly shocked and scared at who he saw coming from the entrance to the village. There was Gaalif, with his sword raised above his head, followed by his comrades and what seemed to be the whole Gerudo tribe.

He stole back into the house and alerted everyone of what he saw.

"What do we do?" asked Peter. "We can't get to Impa without going by the entrance of town."

"The back door." Lein said before dashing to the nursery to go get Zelda and lead his friends out the back door and all the way around town to Impa's house.

"What do you mean, they got in? Only the dark magic of the Gerudos could break that barrier – oh yes, the Gerudos." Impa's face immediately hardened and a fire ignited in her eyes. "Rauru, take Zelda and flee to the Temple of Time."

The elderly sage stood up, and instead of doing as Impa told her, he pulled out a long, thin bundle from under the bed. Whatever the object was was wrapped up in leather and bound with hemp.

"Lein, use this. It is a very powerful blade that was forged by my father many years ago. May the gods protect you." The men exchanged the wrapped up sword for the still sleeping baby, who disappeared with Rauru underneath the rug.

He proceeded to place the bundle on the table and unwrap it. And there it was: a blade made of the purest steel, a blue hilt, and a golden triangle resting over the hilt. It was inside a blue sheath with designs embroidered in gold.

"That's a really cool sword," said Uzziah out of nowhere. "Do we get one."

"In there," said Impa, pointing at a barrel in the distant corner. "One for everybody. I hoped that you'd never have to use them."

As soon as everyone had a sword for their use, the door dissolved into a pile of dust at the threshold. Standing there was Ganondorf, holding up a fist.

Impa jumped forward to face him. "You."

"I remember you, and your son. He was, well, _stomped_ into my memory."

Impa pulled out a rapier-style sword of her own and swung it at him, only to miss. "That's not witty, and you will pay for what you did to my people."

Ganondorf laughed. "Will I now? All of the Sheikah warriors are dead, and all the girls who are fully trained are here with me. We feel like finishing our job and wipe out all the Sheikah. You first." He summoned a white sphere crackling with electricity and shot it at Impa, and it knocked her to the ground.

She got back up a second later and tried to attack again – this time thrusting her sword-free hand out and emitting waves of energy from her fingertips, knocking Ganondorf over and keeping him down significantly longer.

"Everyone out of the house!" she cried before dashing out. The men followed her to the graveyard, where she made them stay while sounding the warning for all able-bodied men in town to take up arms and meet in the graveyard and everyone else to take the designated escape route up Death Mountain. During this time, Gaalif, his men, and the Gerudos found their way to the graveyard.

"Nice to see you again, Lein," said Gaalif menacingly.

"Unpleasantly, Gaalif," said Lein.

"Have you heard from Yelena?"

Swallowing a newly formed lump in his throat, Lein answered, "No."

"Pity. Anyhow, I'll tell you now: Surrender the key to the Sacred Realm, and we'll leave. Refuse, and blood will spill."

"For the last time, Gaalif, I don't have it." Preparing for what was coming next, he bared his sword.

"All right, then, you made your choice. Men, attack."

Gaalif's men charged on Lein and friends, and steel began to clash. Lein's group was outnumbered by a little, meaning that some of Gaalif's cohorts merely circled duelers and acted as seconds.

"Why aren't you fighting?" Gaalif stopped for a moment to ask the Gerudos this.

"Well, firstly, Gaalif, you said '_Men_, attack,'" said Nabooru matter-of-factly. "Secondly, we only take orders from Ganondorf, or me. Thirdly, I say no fighting until Ganondorf gets back. Fourthly, I hate Ganondorf and will not fight alongside him." She separated herself from the others and stood next to Lein. The other Gerudos put on looks of utter shock at her nerve, yet said nothing.

"Also, Gaalif, when Lein said he hadn't heard from Yelena, he was lying. Three days ago, he came to our fortress to show Ganondorf what he had done. The evidence was her dead body."

A couple of seconds passed in uneasy silence, then Gaalif busted out in laughter.

"You've got to be kidding me!" he guffawed. "You're saying that Ganondorf killed Yelena, ah, that's rich!" But he found himself pushed to the ground violently by his brother. Lein then found himself being surrounded by Gaalif's goons. They all moved to attack, and Lein ducked down to avoid being collided in to. He crawled out from underneath their legs, and then saw Ganondorf at the entrance to the graveyard. He had turned to the Gerudos and shouted, "Why do you not attack and fight with them?"

"Nabooru said to wait for you," answered a Gerudo. "So now that you're here, we'll attack. By the way, she's a scummy traitor." She and the rest of the tribe proceeded to join a duel, fighting alongside one of Gaalif's cronies. Ganondorf walked towards Lein and Nabooru, who were standing together with their swords out and pointed at him.

"Is it true that you're a traitor?" Ganondorf asked Nabooru.

"How can I fight on the side of the man who killed my friend?" she answered.

"Amtel was somebody's friend. How was her death any different from Yelena's?" retorted Ganondorf.

"Because she didn't have a baby to raise or a brother who cared," said Lein. "We can use words to talk this out, or we can use our swords."

"Swords."

The two on one fight began between, Lein and Nabooru versus Ganondorf. Ganondorf had no sword, so he resorted to sorcery, which the others were able to deflect with their weapons and bounce back at him. Nobody paid attention to which way they were being pushed, and it was a surprise when the three found themselves inside a dark, eerie cavern-like area with paintings on the wall that looked like skulls. In the middle of the room was a statue of a bird whose beak was facing a skull impaled on a pole, one of many that circled the statue. A chasm separated this area from another door. This room slowly filled up with others who were fighting.

"Lein, I can take him," Nabooru finally said. "Your brother's right behind you. Get him!"

He ducked out of the fight and proceeded to duel Gaalif. It seemed unbelievable to him, that in the end he wound up squaring off against his own family member . . . again, his thoughts drifted to little Nathaniel and his destiny, which caused him to temporarily drop his guard. Gaalif took that opportunity and slashed his brother right across the collarbone area.

Lein stumbled back and clutched his collarbone, feeling the warm blood catch onto his hand.

"Gaalif, stop!" he pleaded. "Must we fight about this?"

"Yes." Gaalif walked that way to continue the fight, but Ganondorf had stolen one of Nabooru's swords and was using it. The sword swung close to Gaalif's neck, causing his head to separate from the rest of his body and fly into the chasm. A spectacular sight, yet traumatizing at the same time, for this was another member of Lein's family to die. He turned to fight Ganondorf, ignoring the blood that was trickling down his shirt like a waterfall. About that time, Ganondorf had given up on his stolen weapon and thrust his hand out at Nabooru. One bright disc and a shockwave later, she had recoiled onto the floor.

"Say, Ganondorf, do you mind not killing my family?" he asked with anger.

"Why not? Now's a great chance to join Yelena, Gaalif, and Impa."

"You killed _Impa_?" Lein shrieked madly.

The two commenced to duel again; Nabooru still lay unconscious on the floor (or dead; he couldn't get away long enough to tell) Twenty minutes and ten casualties later (some Gerudos, Gaalif's comrades, and Issachar), an unnaturally bright light filled the room and stopped the fighting. Rauru entered the room, his face frozen in an indignant death stare.

"Stop your fighting! All of you! For no mortal man should ever hope to lay his hands on the power of the goddesses. You should have heeded my advice, Gaalif.

"Why does mankind insist on fighting and war to solve its problems? What prevents us from getting along without conflict? What is the force that disallows cooperation despite diversity?

"I expect no one to be able to answer these questions, but I expect the dead to be buried in this temple, and for everyone to go home. Pray that we shall never see times like these again."

Lein took one more contemptuous look at Ganondorf as he walked over to make sure his friends were okay. He helped them throw Issachar's body into the chasm, as was being done with all the others. He then went over to Nabooru, still lying on the floor. She was still alive, if not conscious. He picked her up and carried her out of the place and took her to his house, where he invited all the wounded. Nicolas and Kellert came in, followed by Impa being helped in by Rauru.

"Impa," he said. "Ganondorf said that he killed you,"

"He did, did he?" she chuckled. "There's no accounting for the foolishness of a man. I'll help tend to the wounded."

Her first step was to bandage Lein up, then she went on bandaging up the wounds of Nicolas, Kellert, and some others. About this time, Nabooru woke up and sat up. The first words from her mouth: "Where's Ganondorf?"

"He's gone," said Lein.

"If he's gone back to the fortress and still plans to be king, I won't be too popular." She sighed. "I'll have to live with you Hylians. Will that be fine?"

"Of course," said Lein. "Rauru! Where's Zelda?"

The elderly sage went into a back room and came back with the baby, depositing her into Lein's arms. "Lein, remember what we discussed a while back with Darunia, King Zora, Navi, and Yelena?"

He nodded. "When do you plan to set that up?"

"As soon as possible."

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**CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE**

A year had passed since his siblings had died, and Lein had, in that time, became the king of the Kingdom of the United Races of Hyrule, the races including the Kokiri, Gorons, Zora, Hylians, and Impa, last of the Sheikah. Impa had agreed to come to Castle Town and live in the castle (constructed in the large field to the north of the city) as Zelda's caretaker, and she still managed to govern Kakariko from here. Nabooru also lived here along with some friends who had also voiced their hatred of Ganondorf.

Lein had allowed the ruins of Rohoni Village be torn down so the Lon Lons, a rich family of livestock herders, could build a ranch for their livestock.

He had the Spiritual Stones returned to their places: the Kokiri Emerald in the forest (by Rauru, who alone could penetrate the Great Deku Tree's magic), the Goron's Ruby in Death Mountain, and the Zora's Sapphire to the Zora's Domain.

Hyrule was happy and at peace, although it still suffered thefts from Gerudos on occasion. Stories began to float around of a man who was called the Evil King, a wielder of demon magic who was out to get the Triforce. He even visited Lein.

"I guess I feel bad about killing Yelena," said Ganondorf regretfully when he met with Lein in the throne room of the palace. "My anger got the best of me. Do I have your forgiveness?"

"Yes, you do. Now go back to your lands and leave us alone," said Lein.

It is said that as Ganondorf left, he saw Nabooru, and she spat in his face as he left.

Eight years into his reign, the Gerudos living in the castle left to return to their home. Their plan was to sneak out into the Haunted Wasteland and live there, maybe make it to the colossus that housed the Spirit Temple. From there, they could hide from Ganondorf; disappear, like Yelena had supposedly done.

One night, Lein was sleeping, and he felt himself being weakly rocked back and forth.

"Father! Father! I just had a strange dream!"

He slowly sat up, rubbed his eyes, and located Zelda's form in the darkness. In ten years, she had grown into a smart girl.

"In my dream, there were dark storm clouds all over Hyrule. They looked like they would be a big storm that would destroy EVERYTHING. And then, a hole in the clouds formed, and a light shone through on a boy clad in green. He had a fairy with him and he was holding up a green stone.

"I think my dream means something, Father!"

"What do you think it means, dear?" asked Lein drowsily.

"I think the storm clouds are Ganondorf, and –"

"Whoa, baby, no. Sure, Ganondorf's done some really mean things, but he's been good so far still."

"I'm not done. He's the storm clouds, and the boy with the stone will get rid of the clouds and return light to the land."

"So you're saying Ganondorf's evil?"

"Uh huh."

"Honey, that's crazy talk. He's not done anything evil for some time now."

"If fruit can go rotten, so can people. Rauru told me that."

"Go back to bed, Zelda. Stop having strange dreams."

Footsteps preceded an opening and then a shut door.

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**EPILOGUE**

Zelda wished that her father had listened to her seven years ago when she had that dream concerning Ganondorf. Now, Ganondorf and some of his monsters had stormed the castle, killing many guards and Father too. She had gotten away with Impa, tossing her keepsake – the Ocarina of Time – to a boy with a fairy clad in green.

This boy was a mute, who had his name embroidered on his hat: Link. Link was a brave boy, who went to go get the Spiritual Stones so Ganondorf couldn't get his hands on them. He hadn't turned up for the past seven years, and she was hoping that Ganondorf hadn't killed him after he opened up the Door of Time.

Ganondorf had accomplished what many dreamed of doing, but he was the only one to succeed: enter the Sacred Realm and take the Triforce himself. Rauru had gone to try and fight him, but just found himself trapped there. Now, Hyrule was a land of darkness, and Zelda had been living in hiding with Impa for seven years.

Where was Link?

"Zelda, he's alive."

Impa woke Zelda up in the middle of the night to tell her this news.

"Who, Link?" asked the princess drowsily.

"Yes, Link. Rauru sent me a telepathic message saying that he just woke up from a seven year slumber while imprisoned in the Sacred Realm. He had set up a way of making transportation easier for him back when he was a baby, but there is no good way for him to learn it.

"It simply consists of songs that transport him places. What I want you to do is go to him when he reaches these places and teach him the songs."

"Impa," yawned Zelda. "You want me to leave hiding? Surely Ganondorf will find me and take my piece of the Triforce." She clutched her left hand.

"I have the perfect disguise for you," said Impa. She dug around inside their small one-room cottage until she found some dusty clothes and presented them to Zelda.

"These were my son's," said Impa. "They should fit you."

"You want me to do this dressed as your son?"

"If it means Ganondorf leaving you alone, then yes," answered Impa. "His name was Sheik, and he played this harp. I have taught you Sheikah magic, so playing the harp will be a piece of cake compared to this."

Impa taught all six songs to Zelda, who picked them up with relative ease.

"Should I go now, to the Temple of Time?" asked Zelda as she put on Sheik's clothing, which fit very well.

"Yes. He needs to know that the Sage of the Forest is in danger and needs his help. To get what he needs, he must go to the Kakariko Graveyard."

Zelda was now fully transformed into Sheik, yet she felt no different than she had before. She said good-bye to Impa, and then vanished to carry out her work.

**THE END**


End file.
